It’s been 36 years since the coveted Miss World crown has made it back to the charming, twin island republic of Trinidad & Tobago. This statistic is a daunting antithesis to the actuality that Trinidad & Tobago is blessed with some of the most resplendent and awe-inspiringly, beautiful women in the world. Upon achieving the glorious milestone of 60 years of independence, Trinidad & Tobago’s appetite for global success in pageantry is justifiably insatiable. There is an overwhelming sense of optimism that under the impeccable leadership of Charu Lochan Dass, Trinidad & Tobago will reclaim its pageantry glory.
A promising prospect from the top 17 contestants who were announced on September 4th, 2022 at The Brix is undoubtedly Janelle Pirmal. The arresting allure of her smile paired with the charisma she exudes makes her regalia irrefutable and she is confident that she can have an impactful experience in the Miss World Trinidad & Tobago 2022 competition.
“If I’m being completely honest, everything feels surreal right now. Everything I’ve always dreamed of and prayed about is manifesting at such an unexpected time in my life and all I can truly think about is how blessed I am. I’ve always lived by the saying that things never happen before their time and I truly believe that right now is MY time and I am ready to embrace it, work for it and enjoy the journey of it all” she stated.
Pageant critics have in recent times said that the superficial emphasis on physical appearance had outshined the most important facet; beauty with a purpose. Janelle’s beauty with a purpose project speaks volumes about the calibre of woman she is. She has chosen to address poignant socio-cultural issues that depict the values of a nuanced and incredibly thoughtful individual, entitled the Above & Beyond project.
The first societal issue her beauty with a purpose project tackles is the marginalization of underprivileged children. Janelle’s Father Khameel Pirmal passed away when she was 8 months old and growing up within a single-parent household in Claxton Bay made finances difficult to manoeuvre at times but she remained grounded in the basis of her family’s love.
” Growing up in a loving home surrounded by people who supported me, uplifted me and helped me along the way; I learnt the true meaning of life, which was “love”. In my opinion, love is the most important thing we could experience and it is the foundation of our lives. It is not only in the form of compassion and kindness but also guiding someone in the right path or helping one in becoming their better self.”
“However, many children around the world weren’t as fortunate as others to experience that and so, they grew up with little to no direction resulting in various misfortunate activities. With that being said, my project will be geared towards helping less fortunate kids in my community, not only by gifting them everyday essentials but by also educating them on their personal well-being – their health, education and traits which they can eventually use to build a source of income for themselves.” she expressed.
Being raised by a single mother Judy Pirmal, in the humble beginnings of Claxton Bay in St. Margaret’s exposed Janelle to a unique reality which is what fuels the direction of her project. “Claxton Bay has been my home for 22 years and I am proud to have lived in an area where spirited and warm people were the highlight of my life” she dotingly stated.
Every community has its social ills and challenges but she wholeheartedly believes that she could use her platform to give more opportunities to the youth of Claxton Bay and she charmingly asserted that ” In my community, I’ve seen children become accustomed to having things handed to them without acknowledging the true essence of becoming more than their circumstances. I believe by educating the children in more ways than one will help them to understand that they can use their knowledge, skills, gifts and talents for the greater good. I believe this project is a true representation of Beauty with a Purpose because it’ll seek to assist the youths to come together and help each other become more than their circumstances.
We hope that the purity of Janelle’s intentions is recognized and we hope that the justness of her cause will be vindicated, as she aims to redefine beauty with a purpose and become Miss World Trinidad & Tobago 2022.
