Pearl Jansen

Pearl Gladys Jansen (born 1950 in Bonteheuwel) is a South African beauty queen and singer who was first runner-up in the Miss World beauty contest in the UK in 1970. She was the first coloured woman to represent her country at this level. She competed as "Miss Africa South" due to apartheid.[1]

Pearl Jansen
Born
Pearl Gladys Jansen

1950
Bonteheuwel, Cape Town
TitleMiss World 1970
(1st Runner-Up)

Biography

Jansen was 20 when she entered the 1970 beauty contest. She also has been portrayed in the film Misbehaviour.[2] She has stated that after the contest nothing changed for her because of apartheid.[3] She waited until she was 58 years old to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer.[4]

1970 Miss World contest

The 1970 contest was held in London, United Kingdom. It began with a row because the organisers had allowed two entries from South Africa, one black, Pearl Jansen, and one white, Jillian Jessup.[5][3] Then during the evening there were protests by women's liberation activists and flour was thrown.[6] The comedian Bob Hope was also heckled. Jennifer Hosten, Miss Grenada, won, becoming the first black woman to win Miss World, and Pearl Jansen was placed second.

Bibliography
  • Jennifer Hosten, Miss World 1970: The Craziest Pageant in History and the Rest of My Life, Sutherland House Incorporated, 2020

References
  1. Flanagan, Jane. "The story of Misbehaviour: feminists, flour bombs and the first black Miss South Africa". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. Sunday Times, Pearl is a queen again
  3. Isaacs, Lisa (16 March 2020). "Apartheid buried my achievement, says Bonteheuwel's Miss World runner-up at film premiere". IOL. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  4. "District Six Legends at His People Centre". Cape Town Today. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  5. Hughes, Sarah (16 March 2020). "Miss World 1970: Beauty Queens and Bedlam, BBC2, review: the real stars were Pearl Jansen and Jennifer Hosten". i. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  6. Pape, Gordon (21 November 1970). "Cattle show: Miss Grenada wins, Bob Hope loses". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.