Trinidad-the beautiful, nothing less

So it was about this time, over thirty years ago that the first black woman was crowned Miss Universe. Where was she from Trini! Yay! Janelle "Penny" Commissiong (Now Chow). She was, and still is flawlessly beautiful. What I love most about Penny is that she was not in between or mixed or commercialised in any way. She made every black girl feel as if they were good enough as they were. She had short hair, she was not particularly tall or skinny but she outshone every woman there. Gracious, poised and a successful businesswoman Penny is so perfect.
Then we did it again about twenty years later with another ebony goddess -Wendy Fitzwilliam.
Wendy is pretty interesting because she pushed a lot of buttons by announcing while unmarried that she was pregnant at a speaking event at a Catholic girls school. Later, with more controvesy it turned out to be a still married Jamaican. Even worse, still married to former Jamaican pageant winner herself -Lisa Hanna. Wendy undoubtedly would affect young women with her choice to have a child for at that point a still married man. I think it reflects life issues that we may all encounter. She is accomplished, intelligent and of age in my book. Her choice is her own and I think that it was probably good for knocking down some of those cultural taboos. It brings to the forefront issues we should be considering for ourselves personally with regard to marriage, relationships and individual choice. I love these women because they just keep kicking down doors.