Winning the Miss South Africa pageant alone is no easy feat, however, winning the pageant as a member of the deaf community is even more impressive, and the current Miss SA Mia Le Roux pulled it off with grace. Her short reign revealed the importance of recognising communities and individuals often left out of conversations about inclusion and representation.
In her mission statement while campaigning for the Miss SA title, Mia highlighted her goal to eradicate as many barriers as possible for everyone who is left out, irrespective of their poverty, location, gender, or ability. She has focused on raising awareness among the masses regarding the realities of living with disabilities, whether visible or not. As opposed to adopting a helpless or victim mentality, Mia has opted for a more educational approach, using practical examples to highlight her points.
During her time in Mexico, while gearing up for the coveted Miss Universe finale, Mia has begun a mini-series where she shares with her audience the different things and challenges that people with hearing loss experience. In the first episode, mzansi’s ambassador opened up about the concept of deaf fatigue, which is also known as concentration fatigue. According to Mia, people with hearing loss often have to exert more effort to process sound and generate speech. This resulted in Miss SA taking time to herself and resting while other contestants continued to socialise and mingle.
A recent episode saw the pageant queen highlighting the relationship between hearing and one’s balance, revealing that hers is subsequently the best, although she makes it work.
South Africa has recently been treated to the highly anticipated South African Music Awards (SAMA), which were celebrating 30 years of excellence in the entertainment industry. Among the plethora of entertaining festivities attendees and watchers were treated to, mzansi was shocked to see a sign language interpreter for the first time in many years interpreting for the hard-of-hearing community. This act, though it may seem small, is a massive step in the right direction for underrepresented communities as it gives hope that they will be equally represented as they now have someone in their corner advocating for them.
The SAMAs have been airing for so long but it’s actually the first time I am seeing them insert a sign language interpreter, I love this and this is probably thanks to our Miss SA https://t.co/cQ6AHgboNk
— UPPITY AFRICAN ? (@kheamo_m) November 3, 2024
Also see: Mia Le Roux shines as a standout in first few days in Miss Universe
