?None of the models of my agency are authorised to take part in the Miss Mauritius competition.? The verdict of Kit Acheemootoo, the manager of Heat events organising agency, appears as a final one. The competition has been suffering from such a bad reputation for several years now while modelling agencies are thriving in the country. It seems girls are not very interested in a beauty contest that many consider ?amateurish?.

Jasmina and her colleague Anaëlle would ?never take part in this contest even if they were allowed to?. The two part-time Heat models blame it on the bad reputation that has built up around it for years. ?When there are such contests, I am the first one to sit in front of television with my friends to have a good laugh. I do not want people to make fun of me,? says Jasmina. ?I think the competition and show are of low quality and girls are not properly groomed. As a result, the repercussions are not so positive,? confirms Anaëlle.

In Kit Acheemootoo?s opinion, the ?label has been spoilt because of the lack of originality of the show?. In fact, the agency prevents its models from taking part in such competitions. ?Recently there was the Face of the Month contest. I was not there but in view of the comments I read in the newspapers, it seems the final was no much better than the national contest.?

In fact, the girls are not responsible for the bad reputation of Miss Mauritius. The real problem seems to come from its organisation. ?I think girls are more interested in coming to model agencies for various reasons. But one of them is the fact that they benefit from a more professional support. We have a whole technical team to make sure everything will takes place properly while Miss Mauritius appears to be a one-man show,? Kit Acheemootoo pointed out.

The reputation of the Miss Mauritius contest might even go beyond our shores, according to what Kit Acheemootoo revealed, ?We have some clients of international brands who simply refuse that girls taking part in the contest represent their brands locally?. Jasmina has also noticed that attitude. ?These girls will keep the image of those having participated in Miss Mauritius for a long time and this might well play against them in the fashion world.?

The models in private agencies also point out the ?lack of positive fall-outs from such contests?. ?As the image of the contest is not a professional one, people may think they will not win anything out of this competition while we have the certainty that we will have contracts for photos, fashion shows or hosting specific events on a regular basis at the agency,? explains Jasmina.

?I also spoke to some of the girls who took part in this contest years back and they complained that, as soon as the contest is finished, they are just left aside and do not benefit from any fallouts,? said Kit Acheemootoo.

This is all the more true as the main reason why girls do part-time modelling is the pocket money it brings them every month. The director of Heat openly says that ?remuneration? is among the main factors attracting girls to such agencies. Even if Jasmina has taken a liking to the fashion world and particularly enjoys that people take care of her before shows, she nevertheless admits that ?pocket money is the main attraction of this business? ? especially in Mauritius where girls very rarely have the opportunity to have an international career in this sector.

Faced with a more fulfilling aspect of modelling and the fashion sector ? which is becoming a craze ? the Miss Mauritius contest will have to do more to convince those who may already have some training and talent in the field. Hopefully, this year?s edition will prove us wrong with a great dose of professionalism.