Mrs. World Gets Real About Pressures Of Being First Black Winner In Pageant’s History
When Tshego Gaelae become Mrs. World, she didn’t realize all the pressures that would come with the historic title.
The attorney from Johannesburg, South Africa, became the pageant’s first Black winner in January. Gaelae was a novice to the pageant world, never competing before securing the Mrs. South Africa title.
While not underestimating its immense platform, Gaelae said the transition has come with a learning curve.
“You’d hear the sentiments that people share about pageantry and stereotypes, saying that pageantry women are catty. Women don’t want other women to succeed; women are mean to each other,” she told People. “I walked in as a blank canvas, and I really told myself that it will be what it is. It will be what it is, and it will be what I make of it, because it’s also my responsibility to make it what I want it to be for me.”
The 35-year-old swiftly engulfed herself in the world of pageantry. However, it was her experience as an attorney that drew her to the pageant scene for its “networking opportunities.”
She continued, “So I really allowed myself to be immersed in the [pageant] experience, to take it all in and not allow the misconceptions and people’s views and judgments cloud my view.”
With confidence and leadership skills in tow, Gaelae has embraced her new position to encourage others to reach their ambitions. Her pageant mentor prepared her on what to do if she won.
“She said, ‘Please just remember this is huge, because if you win—and should you win, and when you win—you will be the first Black woman to have won Mrs. World. So think about what you want that to mean to you and think about what you want that to mean to the world,’” Gaelae recalled her mentor saying.
Gaelae wants all women to forge a path where they feel empowered, and in turn empower others.
“It’s bigger than just me…It’s not just about me. It’s about every other Black woman or mixed race woman or Indian woman or even White woman who has dared to dream…It’s how you carry the crown, what you do with the crown and what kind of legacy you leave.”
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