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East London-born fashion designer and model Laura Wagner-Meyer wants to be the first disabled Miss South Africa.

Wagner-Meyer says that if she were to win the Miss South Africa title she would use the platform to create opportunities to empower and uplift communities by equipping them with the necessary skills to pursue entrepreneurship objectives.

“You can’t always choose the body that you were born into, but you can choose how you’d like to feel in it,” says 25-year-old Laura Wagner-Meyer.

“I’m more than just a ‘pretty face’. And I should be taken as seriously as other participants. I shouldn’t be excluded just because of my unique abilities.”

Right on lady!

 

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When it comes to inclusivity in the fashion and beauty industry, she says that people with disabilities in this country have very little to no opportunities.

“We don’t have them fall into our laps, we have to quite literally go out and grab them or create them ourselves.”

This is her third time entering the competition.

“The whole idea of representation and inclusion on platforms like these is so important to shatter stereotypes. That’s what drives me,” says the model.

“I am someone who is incredibly determined. I don’t give up on any of my goals very easily. I simply want the opportunity to show them what I am capable of.

 

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Wagner-Meyer says that a key part of entrepreneurship is confidence.

“Once women feel confident in themselves, their ideas, and their overall abilities, they can create wonderful things.”

“You have the power to decide who you want to be and what you want to achieve in this lifetime. Never, ever let anyone tell you otherwise!”

Over the past few years, the Miss South Africa competition has been moving toward being a more inclusive pageant. In 2023, they announced that married women and those with children were allowed to enter the competition.

[source:iol]