They say beauty is in the eyes of the beholder
but what really does it take to be "beautiful"? Is beauty only in the
eyes? I hoped that I would get the answers to these questions when I was given
the opportunity to meet the reigning Black Opal Face of Zimbabwe - Betty Gugu
Moyo.
Just one glance at her and I thought I had
found my answer in an instant! I mean she really deserves her title. I have to
give it to the people at Black Opal, they have the perfect brand ambassador and
I will not be surprised if they start running out of stock because as vague as
I am about the products that they sell, I am 100% certain that every woman in
Zimbabwe right now would die just to look like Betty. Honestly after just
seeing her, I thought my job was done, beauty was right there in my face but
believe me, I was in for a rude awakening.
There is so much more to beauty than what
satisfies the eye. Apparently, beauty is also about having brains, being
humble, staying true to yourself and having a good heart. It is the latter part
that really fascinated me about 20 year old Betty who is also a second year
ACCA student. Her passion for helping the less privileged in society is the
rarest of beauty. Just her facial expression when she talks about charity shows
you that the matter is really close to her heart. Her humility is astonishing
for someone who is in the public eye for her physical beauty. Amazingly she cut
off her long hair soon after her trip to New York. Some people would have come
back with a wild American hairstyle just to show off but not Betty she is the
definition of a truly African woman.
Her beginnings are truly humble; born and bred
in Harare she did not attend the so called "A" schools at primary
level. She did her high school in Bulawayo and has been to Murambinda. She
stays in the modest suburb of Manyame Park in Chitungwiza. Save from the fact
that she just won a prestigious title and she is the face of a huge brand like
Black Opal, she lives a simple normal life. Surprisingly she even does typical
household chores like cooking and washing and she still hangs out with her old
friends. Betty Moyo is the typical girl next door only that she is more
beautiful than most of our neighbours.
According to her, winning the Black Opal Face of
Zimbabwe placed her where she wanted to be in life and she felt like "the
queen mother”. She was super excited as it has surely opened great avenues for
her. The winning prize was a whooping US$3000 and a once in a lifetime dream
trip to the fashion capital of America -New York City! The trip was amazing as
she got to Minneapolis where the Black Opal manufacturing centre is situated. She
also had a first-hand experience of Manhattan, Times Square and various fashion
centres. What did she get down to in New York? Shopping!! Obviously. And she
also got to watch some plays. The people of New York were really wonderful
according to her and they were so friendly. Black Opal really gave her the
experience of a lifetime. Just to show that her win was no fluke, Betty has
been chosen to be the December girl for Black Opal USA, now how about that?
Betty owes her recent success to the great
support she received from her family who were behind her every step of the way.
Sadly though, she lost her father a few weeks ago and it definitely was a
trying time. However life must go on and surely her father must have died a
proud man because of the wonderful daughter he raised. Her inspiration comes
from her background where she says the community around her taught her to be
humble and true to herself. Being a beautiful African woman is not about having
long hair, nails, putting on loads of make-up, wearing high heels etcetera. It
is about being proud of the real you and where you come from.
She says she does not get carried away by the
publicity that comes with being Black Opal Face of Zimbabwe, she still remains
grounded. It is Betty first, then Face of Zimbabwe follows and not the other
way round, she says. A good heart is also essential if one is to be truly
considered beautiful and for Betty it is more than just a publicity stunt, she
has a real passion for helping others. As early as primary school, she would
carry extra food for a fellow pupil who was less privileged. In high school she
was also involved in some community projects and right now she is planning on
sending a child to school. You would never expect a young beautiful lady like
her to have such a drive for helping others.
Obviously being a guy, the question that kept
popping in my mind was, "Is there a chance that this beauty queen is still
available?" Well she does have a love life but she says she is still to
meet her ideal man. Believe me, I tried my best to get her to tell me what the
ideal candidate would be like but all she could say was, "I'll know when I
meet him". So much for my chances hey! He might have to be a huge fan of
magazines though because she loves reading. As a laid back person she likes
listening to mellow classic tunes, nothing too hectic.
The Betty Moyo experience for me was amazing.
Black Opal definitely has the perfect brand ambassador and one hopes that they
continue with this event as it is surely going to impact a lot of women through
having people like Betty to look up to. The brand Black Opal is definitely
destined for greatness here in Zimbabwe, thumbs up to the team.
By Eddie Love Jones Biriyati
No comments:
Post a Comment