A popular local newspaper has been slammed for an article it published on Sunday, suggesting that the reigning Miss South Africa, Sasha-Lee Olivier, might be pregnant.
This comes after the publication claimed they received a picture of Miss South Africa in a dress that made her look like she was “pregnant”.
That article didn’t sit well with many South Africans. In fact, many took it as a body shaming article.
As a result, the Miss SA organisers released a statement saying they are appalled with the article.
“The writer of the piece Ntombizodwa Makhoba contacted the organisation on Saturday afternoon with the following email: ‘We have received a picture from our tip-off City Press email, which suggested Miss SA, Sasha-Lee Laurel Olivier is currently pregnant. Please see the picture attached. I would like to know if you are aware of these rumours (sic) doing the rounds? Is it true that she is pregnant or it is just people body-shaming her? What are the rules for the reigning queen?’
The Miss South Africa Organisation replied, stating categorically that Sasha-Lee is not pregnant. It was left at that.
“We did not condone entering into any salacious debate about Sasha-Lee’s body given the degrading and discriminatory intentions of this article,” read the statement by the Miss SA Organisation.
The organisers further stated that would like to put on record that “the article is pure body shaming, implying that if Sasha-Lee is not pregnant then she is fat.
“Sasha Lee stood as an advocate for fuller figure women and expanded on the organisation’s prior representations of beauty. We as an organisation stand strong with Sasha Lee with this understanding of beauty and do not take lightly to any form of body shaming and discrimination which is intended to disempower and humiliate her.”