From humble beginnings, Nigerian beauty pageantry has developed into a powerful platform for exhibiting beauty, talent, and culture. Numerous Nigerian queens have inspired millions with their grace and tenacity, including Agbani Darego, the first Black African Miss World, and others who have represented the nation internationally. These extraordinary people have broken barriers, impacted their communities, and changed how the world views African beauty. With Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina at the forefront of this evolution, their legacy has continued to influence upcoming generations of beauty queens.

With her poise and tenacity, Chidimma Adetshina has won over millions of hearts around the world. At the 73rd Miss Universe pageant in Mexico, she represented Nigeria and became the first African and Nigerian woman to finish as first runner-up. She was also crowned Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, making her the highest-ranked African competitor in the pageant’s history. Although Chidimma’s path has not been without difficulties, from dealing with prejudice to conquering personal hardships, she has come out stronger and is now an inspiration to people everywhere. Her experience serves as a testament to the value of representation in the beauty pageant industry and the strength of perseverance.

In this interview with THEWILL DOWNTOWN’s Dorcas Akintoye, Chidimma Adetshina discusses her historic Miss Universe journey, what it means to represent Nigeria on a global stage, and the challenges she faced along the way.

What inspired you to pursue a career in modelling and beauty pageants?

What inspired me to get involved in beauty pageants was a show called Toddlers & Tiaras. That’s a show that I grew up watching even though I’ve also done beauty pageants even way before then because I always felt like I wanted to be a queen, and when Demi Leigh won Miss Universe, that was also when I got even more inspired to be involved in beauty pageants and at that time I did not understand what it really means to be a beauty queen. I just thought it was about the crown, being a queen, the walk, the dress, and all the glitz and glamour, and only later I got to understand the whole package of what it means to be a beauty queen, and that is what even made me have that desire to want to take it further in pageantry.

How did you prepare for Miss Universe Nigeria 2024, and what was the most challenging part of the competition?

Preparing for Miss Universe Nigeria was very hard because I just moved from South Africa to Nigeria and seeing the whole different dynamics in the two pageant spaces was so different. So, I struggled a lot because of the time management that I had. I had very limited time to make sure that I got everything ready because in the past pageant that I came from, we had sponsorship and most of the things that we used throughout the whole pageant were sponsored.  So, coming to Nigeria, I had to make sure that all the things that I needed for preparation were solely reliable on me. So, that was something that I struggled with at first, but I adapted well, and I had a good support structure.

Can you share some of your earliest experiences as a model and how they shaped your career?

I believe all the 127 girls in the competition had different stories and experiences. My story was just as peculiar as that of the rest of the girls and it got really interesting because acceptance and inclusion are what a lot of people could relate to globally.

What sets your journey apart from other beauty queens?

It still feels surreal and it is quite a humbling feat for me. I’m honoured and blessed to have gotten that far, and it’s something I’ll treasure all my life.

How did it feel to make history as the first Nigerian and African woman to become the first runner-up at the 73rd Miss Universe pageant since Agbani Darego’s top 10 finish in 2001?

Incredible I must say. What makes it even more interesting is the amount of love and support I got from Nigerians on this journey.

How did it feel to represent Nigeria on such a global stage and make history?

The support I got from Nigerians and Africans as a whole and that burning desire to push for something as huge as the SUEI Initiative.

What do you think contributed most to your success in the Miss Universe 2024 pageant?

I had an amazing time bonding with the girls. It was such an outstanding lineup of stunning and empowered women who are changing the world with their little stories and advocacies. I related with most of the girls and the crowning moment with Miss Denmark is one that has been enshrined in the sands of time.

How did you handle the threats and discrimination that led to your withdrawal from Miss Universe South Africa?

⁠It was overwhelming but in the cruel face of adversity, I chose love over hate and courage above despair.

What message do you have for young women facing similar adversities?

There’s great power in knowing your worth and staying true to your cause because, at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Never get discouraged in pursuing what sets your soul on fire.

What are some misconceptions about the beauty pageant industry that you would like to address?

There are so many misconceptions about beauty pageants. The most common one is physical attraction. People often focus on how they look on the outside, but a true beauty queen is not just about physical appearance. It’s about who she is on the inside, her intelligence, her character, her talent, and the many characteristics that she has within herself and that she can give back.

How do you think the pageant industries can be more inclusive and supportive of contestants?

I feel like every year, we are becoming more inclusive in the pageant space, and it’s a beautiful thing to see because, most times, it’s really difficult to sort of change the narrative, and I feel like the little steps that we take can be a greater impact in the future. So, I feel like we are already doing better by creating spaces for so many people. I mean this year the Miss Universe opened up their spaces to girls who are mothers, girls who are married, we had a girl who was deaf, we had a girl who had vitiligo, we had plus size models, we had so many different characters that we’ve never had or never seen and it’s a beautiful thing to see that we are opening up the spaces and breaking those stereotypes of what a typical beauty queen looks like or what a typical beauty queen is.

Now that you’ve achieved such a remarkable milestone, what’s next for you?

What’s up for me next is just to focus on myself and just focus on becoming a better version of myself. There are so many things that I would like to work on and one of them is also my education but I feel like every single step that I take I’ll share with people as I have already made such a powerful impact and allowed a lot of people into my space and I will be keeping people up with what is next with me.

Do you plan to use your platform to advocate for any causes or initiatives?

I will use my platform to advocate for unity, and it is such an honour for me to do this not only with my platform but alongside the platform of the Miss Universe because I am Miss Africa and Oceania. I get to use both platforms to spread the word of unity, to spread the word of love, and to show how powerful we can become when we all unite as one. I am really grateful for this title, and I cannot wait to see what else comes out of it.

If you could advise your younger self, what would it be, and why?

The advice that I would give my younger self is not to be afraid to fail because you are stronger than you think.

 

Dorcas Akintoye
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Dorcas Akintoye is a versatile writer with a passion for beauty, fashion, relationships, and culinary delight. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, she adds a touch of elegance to every topic she explores. She is a writer at THEWILL DOWNTOWN.