“Get to know yourself and be proud of who you are. Be humble and caring, but strive to be a force of good in society. Work hard for everything you want in life, because the rewards you’ll reap will be much sweeter.”
With these choice words teen beauty queen Shan-Lee Cilliers encourages fellow girls with aspirations to make a difference.
The 18-year-old Somerset West resident was crowned first princess at the grand finale of the 2022 Miss Teenager South Africa (MTSA) pageant at Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng, on Sunday 29 May.
“I am very proud of the title honour,” a humbled Shan-Lee, who believes true beauty is not about physical appearance but, on the contrary, speak volumes through how one makes others feel.
“Over the past year I have done a lot of work leading up to the final, and my focus, determination and hard work were rewarded.”
The youngster, an avid dancer who aspires to have a professional career in New York, entered the pageant after being encouraged to do so by her dance teacher early last year.
“Not thinking about it much, I came across the MTSA account on Instagram,” she said. “Entries were open and I decided to try my hand at something new. I am a dancer and was not familiar with the pageant space, so I saw it as an opportunity to grow and learn more about myself.”
MTSA is a platform aimed at empowering young women aged 14 to 19 to develop their confidence to achieve their personal best, to help them embrace their power to make a real change, starting from within their local community with the potential of reaching a global audience one day, and encourage them to step out of their comfort zone, to be themselves and to continue defining what it means to be confidently beautiful.
Shan-Lee further recalled her pageantry journey starting with her having to motivate why she should be selected as a semi-finalist on entering the competition – not knowing that her destiny was already decided. The natural beauty ranked among the top 10 each month during the public voting period, which started last October, and earned her interviews with MTSA judges in February earlier this year.
In essence, Shan-Lee was selected as one of 220 semi-finalists which were narrowed down to 71 out of a shortlisted 100 beauties who made the final.
“I was blessed to be chosen as a finalist. In the months leading up to the pageant, I got involved in and did charity work in my community. I also had to complete specific social media tasks on a weekly basis,” the Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof matriculant said.
As a trained dancer “not familiar with the world of pageantry” and first-time competitor Shan-Lee did exceptionally well by clinching the crown as first princess and claiming the Best Ramp award.
She also earned the Best Charity Work award for her charitable involvement in the community, an achievement she is immensely proud of. Among Shan-Lee’s previous good deeds are distributing night shelter vouchers among the homeless on streets and donating food to animal shelters.
But as part of her charity efforts for the MTSA pageant, she made sleeping bags out of recycled newspapers and plastic bags, which were handed to the homeless; made winter blankets and donated food for the four-legged furry friends being nurtured at the Animal Welfare Society (AWS) Helderberg.
“As First Princess it is important to me to touch people’s lives in a way that leaves a footprint of myself in their hearts. I think the biggest problem teenagers face today, is pressure – the pressure of fitting in and competing with each other and conforming to what society wants us to look and act like. I’d like to inspire teenagers to start believing in themselves, loving themselves for who they are and staying true to who they are.”
More on Shan-Lee:
How does beauty pageants and modelling connect with you as a person?
Though I have not done pageants before, I have done some modelling work in the form of fashion print and advertisements. I love the wardrobe, make-up and time on set, working with casting agents and directors and seeing the final product. To me it is important to always look my best, because then I feel empowered and ready to take on each day.
Why does you enjoy participating in pageants?
The MTSA pageant was my very first pageant I competed in. I loved it so much as the process allowed me to grow and learn more about myself. I also got to meet exceptional young ladies and made new friends for life.
How does she balance school and pageantry?
Balancing school, dancing and pageantry is very hard work. It takes a lot of discipline, focus and sacrifices. I dance from Monday to Friday, and in competition season, on weekends as well. I had to adjust my schedule to make time for the MTSA pageant and my determination and focus helped me to achieve good grades whilst doing what I love!
What is your single biggest achievement?
Definitely being crowned MTSA First Princess. It is something I didn’t expect and I feel humbled and blessed by this recognition.
In what way does she think beauty pageants are still relevant today?
More than ever every young girl has the opportunity to be judged and scored on being a proud and authentic individual. Proud of her body type and appearance and proud of who she is and what she stands for. I feel the days are gone where girls have to conform to what is deemed perfect.
What is the one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
My older brother chose my name. When he was three years old and found out he was getting a baby sister, he told my parents that his siter’s name must be Shan-Lee. And so it was!
Describe yourself in three words.
Passionate, motivated and driven.
