Miss Botswana risks going to Miss World with tattoos
Sharon Mathala | Wednesday August 3, 2016 15:26
Kenosi has tattoos on her neck (a cross) and another on her right rib (a message to her father). Kenosi has however avoided discussing the subject.
The 21-year-old golden jubilee queen said: “I cannot confirm or deny that I have them.” She laughed and smiled the question away.
When quizzed if she knew that she was not supposed to have tattooed her body when auditioning for Miss Botswana Kenosi said, “I followed and met the requirements. I am of the right height, weight and I have met all the other requirements,” she said.
Kenosi however is not shaken by the negative comments she has been receiving ever since her crowning night. “There is obviously going to be a lot of talk about the pageant. It is a national pageant.
All I can say is people should not only focus on the controversy and negativity. We should now focus on getting the world crown; that is my focus right now,” she said. For her part, spokesperson of Miss Botswana 2016 Tshepo Maphanyane refused to be dragged into the conversation of Kenosi having body art. She said: “I do not know if she has tattoos. I have not seen them.”
The rules for eligible Miss Botswana contestants range from age, height, the individual should be a Motswana citizen, should also have no criminal record, should have never given birth and should not be married. The individual should also have no visible body art.
The Miss World rules and regulations about body ink, formally called the Ink Rule, state that a Miss World contestant should not have visible tattoos. This then means that as long as the ink on the beauty queen’s body is not visible then she will not be disqualified. This however will put Kenosi’s hopes of being crowned the fairest of them the entire world at risk. She will have to cover the tattoos for the whole month she will be in Washington DC.
This will however not be the first time a contestant goes to participate at the Miss world stage with body art. Other countries have on the past facilitated that the contestants remove the body ink whilst some have chosen to expel their contestants.
Beauty with a purpose
Beauty with a purpose a segment and or a programme, which was introduced to the Miss World pageant a few years ago. Its main aim was to raise awareness and money towards humanitarian projects in different parts of the world.
The project awards the contestant with the most relevant and important charity project in her nation and automatic progression to the semi final at the final stage. For her project Kenosi says she will focus on “poartry”.
She says with this she intends to use poetry as a method of therapy for mental and emotional growth amongst the youth. She however said will increase and expand the target market once she comes back from Washington. The 66th edition of Miss World will be held in November in Washington DC. The reigning Miss World 2015, Spanish Mireia Lalaguna is expected to hand over the crown. Dates and location of the grand finale have not yet been revealed.