By Femi Harris
It is a bit of an oddity that a beauty pageant crown is on the head of new JamZone queen, Charis Joseph because those who know her see her as the regular sneakers type who treats stilettos as if they don’t exist.
But watch Charis walk in a pair of heels and you would recognize her as a catwalk diva; she just has a way of tackling anything that comes at her with willpower. Listen to her speak about how she got through JamZone and the picture emerges.
“I knew that by competition it meant preparation, staying focused and eyes on the prize,’ Charis said laughing during a recent interview. Her laugh is infectious and she is frank enough to say that the motorcar up for grabs was all the incentive she needed.
Even though she had the confidence of a winner the new queen said she is still in a state of disbelief.
But, as she put it, she had “just what the judges were looking for,” which saw her driving off with that huge incentive. “I still can’t believe that I have actually won the car,” she repeated more than once as if to convince herself.
Though she admitted that she wasn’t too polished in the area of modelling, the new queen said that her fluency in speech and the overwhelming support she received coupled with the fact that she is a good dancer, gave her the edge over the other seven competitors.
The 23-year-old queen who hails from the mining town of Linden told The Scene that preparing for the seven-week pageant was far more intense than she had anticipated. She thought that it was going to be “a walk in the park,” only to find out that it required a massive adrenalin rush.
The most nerve-wracking part of the pageant, she said, was listening on competition night to the top five names being announced.
“Listening to other names being called in the top five and not my own was really nerve-wracking. I thought at that time that I was just another competitor until my name was the last to be announced,” she said.
As for the announcement of the winner, the queen said that she was “totally psyched out and suspended in mid-air.” At this point, she was not nervous, just lost, but when it dawned that she had emerged the winner, there was a feeling of jubilation.
“I was lost; I don’t even remember clearly what was the question that was posed to me or even the answer I gave. When I realised that I had emerged the winner, however, it was a back-to-earth moment for me that was filled with joyous madness,” she said.
Charis, who described herself as ‘charis-matic’ in name and nature, said that fitting in with the other contestants and ensuring that she felt comfortable was no problem for her, as it all came naturally. She said that her humility and friendly nature contributed to fitting in smoothly.
The queen, who at the time of her interview had the ’flu and a sore throat, said that she still gets the occasional feeling of shock that she actually won, causing her to give little thought to the fact that she is unwell.
“Yes, I have the ’flu and it’s miserable, but I won a car, so I hardly remember at the end of the day that I have the ’flu,” she exclaimed.
Joseph said that though winning the ultimate prize of the car was foremost in her mind, there are many other memorable moments and experiences she would always cherish from the pageant.
“The competition has taught me a great deal of self-discipline and has really given me a chance to expose my patriotism,” she said. She said too that the acquaintances she made and the party that was held after the competition will definitely form part of her treasured memories.
The queen has expressed gratitude to her sponsors at the White Castle Fish Shop, her family and the many persons who supported her in one way or the other.
Charis, who said that she already knows how to drive, told The Scene that she will be working on getting her driver’s licence in order and is looking forward to driving out in her new car.
The school teacher said that JamZone is where it started and where it will also end for her in terms of pageantry. She has been repeatedly told that she has the physical make-up of what a catwalk model looks like, but she is insistent that no other pageant is on the agenda.
“This was it, and I can tell you that the experience has been humbling and exciting. I have been showered with support, strengthened by a core group of people who believed in me and I managed to come out on top,” she said.
