Miss Jamaica Makes History at World Pageant
Sanneta Myrie wore her own crown to the Miss World pageant. The reigning Miss Jamaica represented at the competition in Sanya, China this weekend, making history as the first contestant to wear her hair in locs.
"I lock my hair because I identify with it," she said. "I am very much rooted in that Afro-centric nature, where we as Jamaicans are rooted. It's my expression. The only thing to eclipse the natural beauty of Jamaica is the spirit of its people... one of strong resilience, creativity, and ingenuity."
Born into poverty, Myrie is now a 24-year-old doctor, who enjoys running, dancing, and her volunteer work as a counsellor for the University of the West Indies. She claims to inspire girls to achieve their dreams no matter their background, and came in fifth Saturday evening, alongside Miss Spain, who took home first place.
“Without the love I have received from all of the people I have met here, and from all of the people wishing me well and supporting me at home," Myrie said, according to The Jamaica Observer, I would never have gotten to this point.”
Locs, twists, and cornrows have also become more accepted in the United States, where recently the Marines announced that the once banned hairstyle is now considered, "professional and neat in appearance, and may be easier for some female Marines to maintain in an expeditionary environment."
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(Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images)
