‘Miss Curvy’ to move ahead, despite protests

‘Miss Curvy Uganda’ organizer Anne Munogma explains the objective of the pageant to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga

‘Miss Curvy Uganda’ pageant is likely to happen as the organizers of the event got positive nod from the country’s speaker Rebecca Kadaga to go ahead with the event.

Anne Mungoma, organizer of the pageant has visited the speaker along with the contestants of the event on Wednesday, appealing to give consent to conduct the event.

Mungoma told the speaker that they felt offended when critics of the pageant, branded the event as one aimed at promoting sex tourism, which was not true.

“We want to showcase Uganda through fashion and dances as curvy women.  Many Ugandan women are created plus size anyway, so we want to use our beauty to promote tourism. We believe anyone is a tourism ambassador,” said Mungoma.

“Miss Curvy is a beauty pageant that is organized internationally to recognize curvaceous women, and not slim women, since many people have failed to get the real definition of Miss Curvy contest,” added Mungoma.

Miss Curvy Uganda contestants at the Speaker’s chamber

Convinced by the explanation of the organizers, the Speaker Kadaga said that it is important to appreciate all women, small and big alike and suggested the need to recognize plus size women, whom beauty pageants have left behind.

“I misunderstood the pageant after the protest it faced from the public, but now that I have understood what it is about, it is okay. You can go ahead and organize the event,” said Kadaga.

The organizer in the meeting disclosed that more than 200 curvy women had registered for the event scheduled for June 2019.

Women activists visit the Speaker appealing cancellation of the event

The pageant attracted controversy before it even took off, as women activists claimed that the pageant was shame to womanhood and it was a tool used to commercialize and exploit women.

Several Civil Society Organizations and individuals had petitioned the speaker, calling for the cancellation of the contest, and demanded the tourism minister Kiwanda must issue a public apology to women or step down.

However, state minister for Tourism Godfrey Kiwanda insists that the contest is made to appreciate plus size women so as to erase the assertion that slender women are the only embodiment of beauty.