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Review
Beyond Miss World: An
autobiography of Jennifer Hosten, Miss World
1970.
By
Jennifer Hosten with Shaun
Sarsfield
There are many paths to the achievement of
our full potential, to the realization of
our dreams. Not that becoming Miss World
was ever the dream of the young Jennifer
Hosten of Grenada. The school-leaver wanted
to be a broadcaster and she was on her way
to realizing this when she was selected for
training at the BBC, years before she
entertained the idea of entering the Miss
Grenada contest, the first step to competing
for the title of Miss World.
And when we think of Miss World, the last
thing we would imagine as a career path is
public diplomacy and international
development. Jennifer’s book, Beyond
Miss World, is a gripping account of
that path: rejecting the temptations of
remaining in the world of entertainment to
read for degrees in political science and
international relations to satisfy the “need
to do something worthwhile with my life”.
The book appeals at many levels. It is the
story of a privileged but disciplined
childhood in one of the islands of the West
Indies at the end of the colonial period; a
life story of a remarkable young woman – a
role model for other young women living at
the periphery; a story of the motivations,
driving forces, values, dreams and
aspirations of a generation of middle class
West Indians who wanted to contribute to
their country’s development; a story of an
attempt at a revolution to transform the
structures of power and violence that ends
up reproducing those very same structures;
the challenges and compromises in the field
of international development. Above all it
is a story of the resilience of the human
spirit.
It is written with sincerity (one of
Jennifer’s qualities that endeared her to
the judges of the 1970 Miss World Contest)
and a fine but economic attention to
detail. You can imagine the scenes:
childhood in Grenada, the food, the
celebrations the ordered life of a
middle-class family; behind the scenes in
the Miss World context and the experience of
‘a year in the life of Miss World’; life in
Canada – the contrasts are stunning, yet
seamlessly negotiated: the red-carpet/white
limo treatment accorded Miss World and the
realities of being a farmer’s wife in a
Canadian winter; the goldfish-bowl life of a
diplomat; the frustrations of a consultant
on Trade to OECS governments and prima
donna public servants; the dedicated
and committed work with CIDA in the Ukraine,
Pakistan and Bangladesh; surviving the wrath
of Ivan, the worse hurricane ever to hit
Grenada. Through it all, you can hear the
clear voice of the writer; her spirit
shines: warm, intelligent, generous, modest,
very real, very human.
As a feminist who once used the ending of
government-sponsored Beauty Contests as an
example of the achievement of a movement, I
am quite persuaded by her arguments of the
valuable opportunities provided by these
events for many young women; and can see
that they represent one possible path to
personal empowerment.
We get glimpses of Jennifer’s commitment to
social justice. Her personal interventions
in difficult situations illustrate the
difference an individual can make within the
confining structures of international
diplomacy.
I liked her use of excerpts from journals,
especially those of her mother, and the
selection of press clips and letters to Miss
World.
Her only critiques are reserved for the
‘elites’ of the political and bureaucratic
class. Her observation of the challenges
facing our region of small-island developing
states reflects a deep sensitivity to the
human condition, and a fearlessness that is
admirable:
“nothing would change without a new way of
thinking in the region. (which) would
require an opening up of the political
system to accept criticism of the status quo
through self-analysis and a collective
vision of the way forward.”
She has similar observations on other
experiences. Her reference to “the
mechanisms and internal politics” of CIDA,
could be applied to most other institutions.
The “countless broken promises” speak to a
common experience of all who dream and work
for a better world.
I wished for more of these reflections; a
fuller account of the meaning of the Grenada
revolution and the contradictions inherent
in international relations especially in
relation to aid, trade and development. At
the same time, I can see that this would
detract from the fine balance she achieves
between the personal, professional and
political.
I found this book easy to read and difficult
to put down. We owe Jennifer (and Shaun) a
debt of gratitude for sharing her journey
with us. We need more books like this. I
hope it will be widely read.
Peggy Antrobus
Barbados
February 10, 2008 |
