Miss Universe 2019: First black Miss South Africa to be crowned refused to wear wig

Zozibini Tunzi, the first black South African to win the beauty pageant wore her hair natural. She is an advocate of natural beauty.

Post winning the Miss Universe title, Zozibini Tunzi has been giving a number of media interviews. In one of the interviews she did, Tunzi admitted to saying her friends wanted her to wear a wig or buy a weave. But she refused and instead wore her natural afro-textured hair

Zozibini Tunzi pictured here with her family. Continuing the interview, she said : "It was so strange because even a lot of people I knew, people that were my friends, were like, 'Sis, we love you, but we're just saying, maybe you should put on a wig or buy a weave,'" Tunzi said. "I was like, 'No, you know what, I'm going to do it the way I am, because I've been with my natural hair for the past three years,"' she continued. "I don't see why I should change it just because I'm stepping into another platform."

Take this : On December 8, 2019, Zozibini Tunzi became the first woman with natural afro-textured hair to win the Miss Universe title. She was the first black woman to win the pageant since 2011 and also the first black Miss South Africa to wear the Miss Universe crown.

Zozibin Tunzi said in a media interview that beauty has been stereotyped to look a certain way. "When you open a magazine, that's what you see. When you open television, that's what you see. And it becomes embedded within society and ourselves." But Tunzi has challenged this stereotyping and worn her hair natural for sometime now.

Zozibini Tunzi is not only the first black woman from South Africa to take home the crown, but she is also the fourth woman of color to win a major pageant title in 2019. Cheslie Kryst is Miss USA 2019, Nia Franklin is Miss America 2019, and Kaliegh Garris is Miss Teen USA 2019. Tunzi, Kryst, and Garris have made history by wearing their natural hairstyles while being crowned.

For the record, Zozibini Tunzi had been wearing her hair natural for years. She knew she didn't want to change herself just for the pageant.

Meanwhile, following her win, Miss Universe 2019, Zozibini Tunzi has been touring the city of New York wearing showstopping outfits. A few days back she wore a pantsuit covered in gold glitter while walking around the city. She also wore shiny black pumps, and a black-and-white animal-print top underneath her blazer. According to media reports, the suit was designed by Ramy Brook and is said to be priced around $990 (the jacket costs $595, and the pants cost $395.) On Instagram, Tunzi shared another look with the outfit wearing a fuzzy black jacket. It is said to have been designed by Istanbul-based brand N'Onat, and is said to be priced around $400.