Former Miss Malawi Jescar Mponda is one of the country’s inspiring young women leaders who juggles many trades; beauty, modelling, social work and writing to effect social change in our society.
Apart from running her Jireh Home Foundation she founded in 2022, she has ventured into the writing world with a bang.
Jescar has released and launched her first book Why Beauty Queens Bleed? that amplifies women’s voices.
She said her book is an introspection and advocacy which mirrors into the struggles of girls, especially beauty models, hidden in the glitter of crowns.
Jescar uses her personal story to advocate for a fair world where everyone enjoys equality, social justice and human rights.
She amplifies sexual exploitation and challenges the systems to ensures decisions are made fairly, rights upheld and voices of disproportionately affected groups of people are heard all the time.
“Basically, my book project is my legacy. It is my way of signing out as the Malawi Queen and passing on knowledge about hidden things behind the crown that might help girls coming after me.
“Most importantly, it talks about beauty pageants shortfalls; how sometimes, instead of uplifting girls, it breaks them. It is a manual guide to help pageant organisers and sponsors to do better and improve for the best of the industry,” she said.
Jescar further said the book serves as a guide to mentally prepare for challenges they might face and how best to use the platform to empower, not to abuse models.
She said empowering and respecting girls’ and women rights is vital for stronger foundations for their future.
“As a former Miss Malawi, my dedication is entirely on growing my foundation and giving it the skeleton it needs to achieve our goals and objectives. We provide opportunities and support for children, especially girls to rewrite their untold stories.
“We also mentor girls, offer empowerment sessions and school essentials to lessen the burden they face during menstruation that forces them to drop out of school,” said Jescar.
Through the foundation, she has supported over 1 000 children with mentorship, schools materials, sanitary pads and advocacy programmes.
She has also sent children back to school and motivated many to embrace their purpose in life.
Back to the book, Jescar said: “This book is my story. My experiences and lessons I have learnt along the way. I am speaking in my voice that beauty queens are human and it’s ok for them to be imperfect. Societal pressures shouldn’t define who they are and they don’t have to lose their voice, but be unapologetically loud.”
She added that it also speaks for the girls whose voices were taken from them and for those who never had the courage to speak their truth.
“I wrote it so no girl ever has to bleed in silence again,” she said.
Jescar noted that the book is not only about beauty queens, but for anyone who has ever felt weighed down by public pressure and unable to express themselves.
“My hope is that as you turn each page, you’re reminded to be true to yourself boldly and without apology,” she said.
Jescar was inspired by her love for modeling and the girls who look up to her.
“If we are to see change, someone has to speak up. Not every former queen is proud to have ever won. Some are bitter about it for different valid reasons. I wrote it for them too,” said Jescar.
Sexual exploitation is one of the common examples of alleged challenges faced by beauty models in the country. Stories have been told how some event organisers and sponsors have been embroiled in alleged sex scandals which do not only dent the reputation of their brands, but the beautymodels.
Asked whether she had encountered sexual violence during the twilight of her modelling career, she said: “Sexual violence is real anywhere in the world. People mistake modelling for promiscuity.
“However, it’s because of the narrative the industry has portrayed for a long time. Malawi is not as advanced as other countries when it comes to modelling and most of the ridicule comes out of pure ignorance.
“So yes, men think every model is available for despicable acts at a small price. The sad part is; these men are the ones we’ve grown looking at as our heroes. It’s a shame really.”
She added that getting funding for many beauty queens was an uphill task which exposes them to sexual violence.
Jescar observed: “In my line of work for example, getting funding for anything is never easy. Unfortunately, being a woman is a crime on its own. ‘If I sponsor you, what are you giving me in return?’ That’s the most common response we get from knocking doors for funding. There is sexual harassment.”
She said there was time she abandoned funding and let her prospective needy beneficiaries (children) go hungry in her brave move to fight gender-based-violence.
“Sometimes, it works best when you know who you are and what you want in life. When your voice cannot be silenced and how you carry yourself determine the respect you deserve,” she said.
Jescar challenged girls and women to reject GBV by breaking the silence without fear.
“Say no and mean it. If you say no amid chuckles, it doesn’t show emphasis. Every woman for herself and it begins with us. Never be afraid to tell your story. Even if one person of 100 people believes you, it still counts. Your story will save someone somewhere. It has to be told,” she emphasized.
Jescar attended seven primary schools before writing her Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education (PSLCE) at Lilongwe Demonstration.
Later, she went to St. Mary’s Girls Secondary School in Zomba where she scored an enviable 11 points and got selected to Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences.
She graduated with credit in Business Administration (Generic) in 2023.
Looking forward, Jescar wishes the country’s modelling industry started to pay off as a career.
“This is because of we haven’t placed the right value in it. If you price yourself cheap, why should anyone pay for your services at a higher price? People wake up and just decide they are models. That’s not how it works. You learn the game to play it. You just don’t start playing,” she said.
