Whenever I see Ben Murray-Bruce make any comment online which appears sensible, I can’t help but wonder a man who can’t hold his own, whose pageant has been riddled with ingenuity and mediocrity can make such statement without applying it to his business. He’s obviously living for the silver screen.

I decided to enter for the pageant in 2015. I was very skeptical to pay for the pageant form. My sister had to persuade me forcefully. One of the main reasons I hadn’t wanted to waste my N5000 for the pageant and other expenses such as cab and pageant clothes is because of the lack of fairness in the recently held pageants (told by a friend who participated and my observation also) and for the fact that I could also use my money to do other more profitable things. But there’s no harm in trying afterall, I could be lucky.

After paying, over excitement made me buy two pageant dresses, make my hair which I hadn’t done for a very long time(virgin hair), expensive makeup and other things. I was too positive I was going to make it. I took a cab to a friends house in lekki so I could get to the venue very early.

In the wee hours of the morning on the screening day, I had mixed feelings about going for the screening even though I had already paid. With butterflies in my stomach, I gathered my self together and then took a cab to the venue at 9 a.m. When I got there, a photographer had wanted to take a photograph of me. The lights were so bright in my face I had to ask him to please put the camera down and his response was ‘see this one ooo, don’t you want to win?’ I was unsettled I guess.

I was asked for a scanned copy of my birth certificate which I had to go do at NTA bustop close to silverbird galleria. After that, submitted, got a number tag and proceeded to the lounge where the screening was holding. As I proceeded for my seat, almost everyone had a straight face. Only a few were chit chatting, probably friends. I sat down quietly with the cameras and light beating our faces. There were many average looking females there, nothing extraordinary which made me even feel more certain I was going to be picked.

After a long wait, the screening started 12:30 p.m. and I hadn’t eaten any thing that day. We were arranged according to our numbers. I was seated very close to the entrance. As I was seated, I overheard one of the committee saying we want only dark girls. I was nervous because I am fair complexioned. I wanted to go out to get a tan so they would definitely pick me.

Before the screening started at 12pm, most of us were walking about especially the rest room to touch our makeups as we were told to do so because of the cameras. I then asked for a face wipe from one of the contestant of which she refused at first but gave me later. She gave about 5 of us. When I was about entering the venue, one of the women in charge was calling girls from the mall to come participate in the pageant. I was ASTONISHED. WHAT ABOUT US WHO PAID AS EARLY AS APRIL? THIS WAS UNFAIR. It turned out the number of girls who paid for the pageant weren’t much. Most of the girls that participated that day were people who just came to watch movie or eat at the mall. They paid in my face to the woman who asked for dark girls. I wasn’t too concerned with that because I was tensed if I wasn’t going to be picked. BAD INVESTMENT. I remember meeting one of the runner-ups at the pageant given girls advice looking so white with a huge leg tattoo. We all know their trade when you are bleached with tattoos.

The screening began and we were asked in batches to go change into our swimming suits. It was at this moment I noticed guy murray-bruce and his cohorts(some white men) come in. They obviously came to view our bikini bodies which I found disgusting. An empty lounge became a circus. I almost thought we were screening for both male and female contestants at a point. How the men trooped in when we were in our pants. DISTATSEFUL.
During the screening, the committee woman was still calling for girls from the mall to participate and yes they did and what I didn’t see in the competition before came, BEAUTIFUL FAIR SKINNED FEMALES.

When it got to my batch, I became more afraid but had to convince my self with my pretty non-existent modeling career. I was like I’ve been on the runway before, this shouldn’t be different.
The contestant before me suddenly left and her name was being called repeatedly but she was a no show. I stood up as the next person but it seemed they didn’t want to call my number at all. One of the committee told me to walk in her stead since I was the next person. Half way into my walk, one of the judges told me to go and sit down. My heart was racing, I was like am I not fine enough? Some minutes later after some deliberation between them, I was asked to do my walk. I walked like a vi.brator on steroids. I was shaking to the extent I thought I was going to pass out. When I finally faced the judges, still shaking, they asked me why I was in the competition and I remembered only the first two lines of my crammed speech and ended up saying I’m a go getter at the end. AWFUL.

I proceeded to my seat in sadness. Where was my confidence when I needed it the most. I knew I had lost it but was still positive I could be called.
After the screening of 115 females, we went on a break where we were served meatpie and sprite. I was like, is this what my 5k is for? MEATPIE and sprite which I loathe.

I didn’t know how hungry I was. Still cautious of myself, I was eating softly but as soon as the flavor settled on my tongue, I didn’t even know my mind and body could be at odds. I started munching the meatpie and was salivating all over my pants. After I finished eating, I was nervous someone had seen spit drop for my mouth and even if they wanted to pick me before, they wont now.

Over an hour later, the judges came in. We were all called back in for the final announcement. Amongst the first batch, 3 girls were picked. The second batch of which I was amongst, they called the first two numbers before me including the girl who gave me a facial wipe. I was so happy that finally my number was going to be called only for them to skip me. I immediately called my sister and friends that I didn’t make it. They blamed it on the fact that I wasn’t smiling enough from the videos MBGN posted to their instagram page. Many thoughts ran through my mind. I was like this girl has taken my position with her facial wipe ooo because the other 4 girls she gave wipes weren’t picked too.

Before they even finished the list, many barged out in anger. The partiality was clear. Many of us that paid before the competition weren’t picked. It was mostly the girls who paid on that day from the mall that were picked. Out of 115 females, only 30 or so were picked. Why did they keep on taking money from people even after closing the payment online. Those of us who paid way early before the competition weren’t given a fair chance. Even though me not being picked was my own doing, the way the screening was handled was cruel. Most contestants were tossed aside immediately after their walk and weren’t even asked any questions.

What pained me the most is the money I spent on cab, makeup, clothes due to over excitement. When it dawned on me that I wasn’t going to be picked, I just left and on my way met a fellow contestant who asked that we both get a cab. Her destination was before mine and when she got down, she gave me 100 naira out of 2500 cab. I then asked her that what is the meaning of what she’s doing? Did she think she entered bike? I was happier she wasn’t even picked. These are the type of queens that give pageantry a bad name. I just told her to go.

If you want to go for MBGN, don’t be too confident you will be picked, exude confidence, practice, smile and don’t waste any money on any beauty regime. If you like make your hair, if you like don’t. If you are going to makeup, make sure its heavy(don’t be natural) or don’t do makeup at all. And if you have acute acne, you can still compete. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The girl who gave me wipes had so much acne and ended up being picked.

Beauty is a nice quality to have but there are more important qualities to be had but MBGN is a shallow event that promotes wrong values. None of the winners of late have made any impact.

The pageant didn’t hold this year probably noone paid this year after the stunt they pulled.

No advice can be given to BEN MURRAY BRUCE. He seems to know it all.

It's biased but can't deny some truth in it.

LOL

deathcomestoall:


What pained me the most is the money I spent on cab, makeup, clothes due to over excitement. When it dawned on me that I wasn’t going to be picked, I just left and on my way met a fellow contestant who asked that we both get a cab. Her destination was before mine and when she got down, she gave me 100 naira out of 2500 cab. I then asked her that what is the meaning of what she’s doing? Did she think she entered bike? I was happier she wasn’t even picked. These are the type of queens that give pageantry a bad name. I just told her to go.

Lesson well learnt!

Please deathcomestoall,

I don't just get you women. Just read through your post and see how self conscious you are.

You don't want someone to see spit come out of your mouth because you were eating? OMG that's some weird level of consciousness.

You don't do this and you don't do that. All these useless stress over beauty?

No wonder ladies can never be respected. Any girl with self respect would walk out of such event but no you stock back lying on the floor in your underwears while men examined you like Panla Fish being sold at the local market.

Sorry about your ordeal but I don't really pity anyone going for such. You know it's a deep pit of trash but still went in stuck in your head in the trash.