Thank you, Miss Universe.

Has it sunk in yet?

I don't think so.

I think this is, like, my almost a week now, and yeah, I think I'm getting used to it because the first people would be like, Miss Universe, and I just continue going.

You dropped something.

Jupiter, please, Miss Universe, it is a surreal experience.

I mean, like, because you want Miss South Africa and then you go on this journey, you know, compete for Miss Universe.

And I mean, you know, it's amazing women from all around the world.

The competition has evolved over the years to become more about, like what women are thinking as well as how you look and what you want to do in the world.

So it is a challenging experience to be on.

Like, what was this journey?

What has it been like for you?

Oh, it's an interesting since I won with South Africa and finding out that I would be doing this universe as well.

It was incredible.

The support that I caught from back home, but it was challenging as well because I had a new look that people were not used to.

And so I got crowned and I got a lot of different responses, but I was those quite excited about it, regardless off what was happening in what way?

Tell me.

Tell me about the responses.

Because that's interesting, because a lot of people might think that would be something that happens, like in a western country and another.

But this was in South Africa, and you had one a prominent black country.

And yet there were people who said you Hey, we love you, But but yeah, So I 1st 1 and I got a lot of comments where, you know, a lot of people said, Oh, is this the one this year, so underwhelming.

I got comments like she's a downgrade from the others that we've had, and this is only from people in it in my country is on.

And then it got more international.

Is people find found out that I was going to do Miss Universe and then international people as well started, you know, commenting in and I think my most interesting was one was when I came to New York for the first time.

I think about four months ago, um, I came back to South Africa and was quite it was late in the evening and I took a photo from my apartment.

It was like Are such a beautiful night?

And a comment came in and I chuckled now.

But first I was like, What this guy says are this photo is the so black?

It's a cz black as you are, Miss Black Ugly South Africa.

And I think, Yeah, it's quite and I think it was in that moment where I was like, I'm not even mad.

I'm not mad because I think it's just how society has labeled beauty to be.

It's just how we've been programmed to look at a beauty that way.

You know, the furthest you are from being fit is the ugly, or you are.

And I just saw it as an education movement, cause I remember putting out a post you know, just speaking about it, speaking about colors and speaking about racism, speaking about how people need to see things in order to start believing in them right on.

But that was a big thing, especially for you, and I think so many people who saw you being crowned Miss Universe was it was a moment where many people in this is what really interested me.

I was proud of the South Africa.

I was proud as somebody who's grown up on the continent.

But what really got me is how universally I mean for our for our planet's.

Many people said to see a dark skinned woman.

Women actually like this, But then to see one with natural hair win this with natural.

That's a lot of people initially wants to change people like, Why don't you get a weave?

Why don't you straighten your beautiful?

But why don't you just straight in your head?

That must have been a challenge.

Why didn't you straighten your hair?

Why didn't you wear well?

Because this is my hand.

This was the first question I gave people like.

I think I don't think anyone tells people to put on the weave.

So why Why should I, You know, for at first people like, was this a strategy of like, to watch, to wake up and be myself?

I was like, No, it's not a strategy.

I've had, you know, short hair for three years.

And I wasn't going to change because I was now stepping into a beauty platform because then that means I don't think my hair is beautiful if I'm going to change it.

And so I decided to keep it.

You kept it and everyone is.

Theo also kept many of the causes that you've been passionate about, you know, a lot of the time beauty pageants are associated with a superfluous world.

But But as I've said over the years, things are changing.

The focus is changing.

What people are trying to do is changing, and you've taken on a really powerful issue.

And that's been gender based violence, which is which is far from like a flowering issue that many people would want to tackle.

Why gender based violence and what would you hope people would understand in and around this conversation?

You know, for me, I think my, my, my thing, begin when I won miss South Africa and femicide and gender based violence is very big back home, and I realized that it's not only a South African thing, it's a global issue because we have things like the me to movement.

We have things like the time's up movement, you know, women are fighting all over the world to be safe again in this world, which is, you know, it's quite crazy to me to have to have movements were fighting just to be alive just to keep our lives.

And I like to say, you know, women are an endangered species these days.

I feel like one day we're just gonna wake up and, you know, there's no women anymore.

So I know that's why I'm an ally.

That would be horrible, Theo.

Yeah.

So my thing is about gender based violence is to bring in the men That's always been my main message because people will ask women.

What do you think we should do to fight this?

And I'm like, Why are you asking me?

You know I'm not the perpetrator in most of the instances, So why don't we call out on the people that think that that has been really beautiful because you have sparked a conversation not just in South Africa but on all the platforms you've taken around the world and saying, Hey, we need men to be a part of this conversation.

We need to be engaging men and saying, Hey, here's how you can do better.

Here's what you can do to be better.

Here's how men can call other men out in making women safe because it's it's the men were the perpetrators.

In this case, you are a week end to being Miss Universe.

But it is now a journey that is going to take you over the course of a year.

It will feel like a lifetime.

It'll be over in a moment.

What are you most looking forward to?

What are you excited to achieve?

What do you What do you do you just want to do in this period of your reign?

I'm so excited to travel the world, and I say that New York is so cold.

I I Oh, my God.

It was like I'd really love to fill my toes.

One more.

Um, yeah, I'm so excited to travel the world, I haven't really had the opportunity to travel before, And I think this is I'm going to be quite an interesting one for me.

I'm excited to have my messages and everything that I'm passionate about to just go across the globe.

And one thing I always say is, I don't want to feel like when I step out off this crown that it was wasted.

I want to be responsible with it.

And now I have a platform off.

You now have 2.5 million people.

Thank you.

Following me?

Oh, whatever I do.

It must just be purposeful work, but also to bridge build my Brenda's well, Because when people ask me, what is this for you personally, for me?

I say it's the beginning off building generational wealth for my family.

Because it's not.

It's not something that he had.

Theo.

That is one part of your story that I think a lot of people will be surprised by because, you know, it can often happen with the first time people see you wearing a crown.

You wearing a beautiful down or address, and people go like, Wow, this has always been you.

But part of the reason many South Africans were proud is because of the story that came before your victories.

And you came from humble beginnings.

Yes, I do.

I come from a village Good solo in the Eastern Cape.

Uh, yeah, this is something like that.

Yeah, I come from a village, and you would know, but, you know, they wouldn't know how it is.

The Eastern Cape, I think, is one off the most impoverished places off the country.

While I was fortunate enough to have a mother who's the school principal and my dad, who worked, at least I was able to go to school.

But things are quite different for other people who grew up there, and it's quite difficult to make it out of there.

And so I think, because I grew up there and people sold me growing up there.

Now you know I miss universe.

It's It's Ed's like an element of hope to people who feel like they couldn't have been able to do it before.

It's hopeful.

Not just those people, people who look like people like you, people with 10 natural hand, natural everything.

And we just want to be inspired.

That's what.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Theo.