Why I’m taking part in a beauty pageant

“I want to pursue my dreams irrespective of my age and other obligations,” a 36-year-old beauty pageant entrant has said.

Linda Gyamfi, from Tottenham in north London, said taking part in the Miss/Mrs Africa UK/IE competition was a chance to “get back in tune with my femininity”.

The youth charity founder said she would showcase her work helping young people from underrepresented backgrounds across London pursue their dream careers.

British-Ghanaian Ms Gyamfi will represent Ghana in the three-day competition, starting on 12 September.

Organisers said the competition aimed to redefine beauty and dispel ideas in the industry that beauty pageants were for “physical attributes”.

Contestants would be judged on their character and impact on their community, they said.

Ms Gyamfi launched her charity Succeed 2 the Max in 2021, and it has since helped more than 800 young people across London in workshops, community forums and masterclasses for their career growth.

She said she would showcase her passions for the arts, vintage fashion, charity and youth development during the pageant, and described herself as a “multidimensional woman”.

“I don’t have to be affixed to one version of myself throughout my entire life,” she said.

“I wanted to bring all that I am to the surface rather than suppress it, or continue feeling that I can’t be all of these things because of other people’s expectations I’ve been adhering to,” she said.

“I’m telling young people through my charity to take ownership of their success and what that journey looks like for them, so I need to also embody that.”

Ms Gyamfi said she also wanted to “demystify the idea that because I’m over 30 I can’t take part in a beauty pageant”.

“That doesn’t make sense,” she said.

“It’s about celebrating myself and by doing so, giving others the permission to pursue something they wish to fulfil too.”

The beauty pageant, which is in its fourth year, was created for African women, aged 30-plus, living in the UK and Ireland.

Ms Gyamfi will compete against 12 others in a series of tasks under the categories of lifestyle, charity, and empowerment, culminating in a fashion show and a performance at the finale.

“I can’t wait to rock the outfits,” she said.

“We’ll start with casual wear, representing our flags, then runway our traditional wear and we have to perform, whether it’s a dance or poetry.

“Last, but not least, is evening wear. All of my outfits have been made in Ghana.”

Her traditional outfit was made by a young fashion designer in Bremang, a town in the Kumasi district, and her evening wear was created in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

“I thought I had to look a certain way to compete in a beauty pageant and if I wasn’t already in the pageant scene, it would be too late for me,” Ms Gyamfi added.

“But I reflected on it and I thought, let me do this pageant not for anybody else, but for my own self-care and an opportunity to get back in tune with my femininity as a way of just celebrating Linda and who I am.”