Miss Universe 2011 is Leila Lopes from Angola

Congratulations to our African Queen, Leila Lopes, who has now been crowned Queen of the Universe (or at least Miss Universe) at the ceremony in Brazil on Sunday night. Congratulations! How exciting. Not only is it fantastic that one of our own has taken the crown, but it was noticeable in the footage that I have seen that our winner was such a genuinely, smiley, twinkly lady which is great to see take the win.
Of course it would have been super duper if the Miss South Africa had come close too, but she didn't. Oh well. I can't wait to see what Leila does with her reign as she was punting her AIDS awareness agenda at the ceremony. Which is also FANTASTIC. Exactly what we need. I really, really hope that this makes a difference on our continent. I will be following closely.

Much discussion on Twitter ensued after Leila's win, pertaining to the relevance of beauty pageants. But let me tell you all this. I confess I am a fan. I like the idea that beautiful women are encouraged to use their looks for good. To leverage good grooming and pretty dresses to achieve something with their lives. As a post-feminist I am not afraid of women being beautiful and also intelligent and instrumental in effecting change. And I like the whole ceremony of the thing. But what do you think of it all? Let me know.