Ghanaian-born beauty queen, Rebecca Asamoah, has cautioned modelling agencies to pay more attention to the values and principles of beauty queens instead of their physique.
According to her, modelling agencies are brands and therefore beauty queens go a long way to represent their brands wherever they find themselves. She emphasized that there is the need to crown a queen who is intelligent, has poise, expressive and most importantly, confident.
“Modelling agencies need to stop looking for perfection because a candidate doesn’t need to tick all your boxes. Look out for the value they have because you are crowing the queen to build your brand and sell it. So crowning just the beauty doesn’t count. There needs to be a difference from the winners before and her after.”
Crowned at various pageants four seasons in a row, the former Miss United Nations winner also advised ladies in the modelling industry to focus on building their self-worth, confidence and poise in order to increase their value in their line of work.
According to her, some models believe in the illusion that their managers could find shortcuts to help them make it to the top. She noted that shortcuts, such as being pimped to clients for sexual favours, only ruin their reputation as well as that of others and does not afford the opportunity to miss the competitive side of pageantry business to get to the top.
Miss Asamoah emphasized that it is important for young ladies to invest in their skillset, image and personality.
Currently a Dental Hygienist and a student of the Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, Rebecca Asamoah set up Trés Grandeur with the aim of fulfilling her passion of encouraging young ladies to invest in themselves.
Trés Grandeur
Trés Grandeur is a grooming company propelling and redefining young ladies all over the world to build their self-confidence and personality in becoming pageant queens and achieve all their dreams and aspirations.
The company has various packages depending on the individual they are dealing with. These packages are made up of Image Revamping: where clients are assisted with the right styles and dresses suitable for their body type. It also includes hair styling, make up, skin care routine, how to walk, posture and how to properly answer questions.
The Personal Branding package involves coaching on self-esteem, voice modulation, personality development, public speaking, interview skills and stage presence, poise, posture, connecting with the judges, answering questions, ramp walks and facial expressions. There’s an all-inclusive package which deal with clients who have absolutely no idea on what they are looking for but are interested in pageantry.
The Trés Grandeur signature package is meant for mature men and women who want to enhance their personality, outlook and clout.
According to Rebecca, her visit to France had a great impact on her life and although she didn’t understand the compliment, Trés Grandeur as she was affectionately addressed at the Charles de Gaulle International Airport, the phrase settled in her heart. After discovering the meaning, Rebecca sensed the connection of the phrase with her passion for beauty, confidence and femininity. Thus, the name Trés Grandeur for her company.
Rebecca describes Trés Grandeur as a company that exists to empower young ladies across the world to propel them to be better individuals and better role models in the nearby future; to contribute significantly to the socio-economic development of their various countries.
“We want these girls to understand that they don’t need to be perfect and they don’t need the short cuts that seem glamorous but are not. All we are preaching is that they need to understand that they have got something to offer. So, give your best then go all out for it. My passion is to see that young ladies in the fashion and beauty industry and most importantly, female models are valued and paid their due,” she emphasized.
Journey
In 2016 Rebecca represented Ghana at Miss Africa Continent held in Johannesburg, South Africa where she clinched the title as the first-ever Miss Africa to be crowned. She was ranked by Bra_perucci as part of the top 12 beauty queens to make Ghana proud on the world stage.
In 2017 she represented her noble country again, by contesting for Miss United Nations held in Kingston, Jamaica where she was crowned Miss United Nations World 2017/2018. She was later in that year appointed Ghana’s Education Ambassador for her passion for the youth in empowering and mentoring them to fulfill their aspirations in life.
Challenges
Rebecca recalled that one of the main barriers to runway modelling is the lack of general support from family members.
“We don’t get encouragement from families. We are not empowered enough and it has been a bag of mixed feelings. So you realise that even after these competitions, some of us come out still worthless. We are not taught to go in the right direction and using short cuts therefore seems like a natural transition for some of us from the place of condemnation,” she said.
She encouraged that although staying focused may seem like a long haul especially when the support needed from family and friends is just under the water, Trés Grandeur exists to uplift the spirits of models to learn to become better versions of themselves.
Advice
Rebecca strongly advised against students who put education on hold to pursue modelling. “We think the little we know is super so we don’t learn enough but education has no end. We don’t push ourselves enough and that is where another problem lies. Some drop out from school. It is a temporary thing and it is never a profession. The crown is just for a year. So you need to put yourself in the best state for yourself and your family. I have seen a lot of people who are fallen prey.”
