From Christy Anyanwu, London
Rebecca Afolabi is a British-Nigerian. Two weeks ago, she made Nigeria proud when she won the Miss Universal Woman Great Britain, a beauty pageant.
In this interview with Sunday Sun, the soft spoken lady, who is the immediate past Miss Ebony Ambassador UK, speaks about her love for fashion and beauty and why she had been taking part in beauty pageantry.
Could you please give us a bit of your background?
Well, as you know, I’m currently Miss Universal Woman Great Britain 2025/26. Although I was born in America, I’ve lived in London for the longest time and I work as a Programmatic Manager. I also lived in Nigeria from the age of eight to 12 years old. So in total, I attended three primary schools and two secondary schools.
I have a degree in Psychology and in my spare time I do makeup and make content online.
Tell us about your childhood and growing up. What were some defining moments that shaped your personality and pageant journey?
I used to watch a lot of American shows like ‘Toddlers and Tiaras’ which was about young children in pageantry and I was always interested in doing a pageant just to feel the intensity like in the shows. I was also someone that loved watching runway shows but I knew I was too short to ever become a runway model, even a for long time I thought pageants were for the taller girls, but funnily enough that’s how I got scouted for my first ever pageant in 2023.
What role did your upbringing play in shaping your love for fashion and pageantry?
My mum has always been a pageant girl and huge fashionista. She’s the reason why I started wearing heels from a young age and pretended I was on a runway show. I actually wanted to go to fashion school because of this but as usual dreams change or they find a way back to you in a different setting.
How did you manage balancing your career and love for beauty pageant?
I used to do cheerleading while in university and going from a lecture to cheer practice till 9pm then meeting up with the team to travel at 3am and be back in class for 9am. I just knew pageantry would be the same! And to be honest I love a chaotic schedule; it keeps me on my toes and always guessing what will happen next
How do you personally define purpose and success in this current phase of your life?
Currently, success to me is standing on a stage confidently and being able to speak out to a crowd. As someone with a speech disability causing me to be unable to speak until five years old, I never imagined I would reach this point in my life and even have the confidence to do this ever so often.
Did you envisage you would win this competition in the midst of many white ladies?
In pageantry, I believe colour doesn’t exist. However, I do occasionally get a bit of self-doubt as a woman of colour, thinking, will they see my colour before they see me? But I tell myself, go for it! Who cares what anyone thinks? If it’s your time, you will win no matter what.
You have beautiful, sleepy eyes. Some say it’s sexy. Have you always seen it as a curse or a blessing?
Lately, a lot of people have been saying my eyes are my main feature, which I absolutely love. Growing up, people used to make fun of my eyes in school, saying that they were too big but now it’s almost a new beauty standard in some countries.
What did you think stood you out to win the competition?
To be honest, I couldn’t tell you! I was completely myself throughout the competition and wanted the judges to know who I am and what I’ve done and I believe that’s the best way to stand out.
What’s next for you, Rebecca Afolabi – both in career and in life? What dreams are you currently chasing?
I’m currently preparing for Miss Universal Woman 2026. As the Great Britain winner, I have the once in a lifetime opportunity to represent the country at an international level and I honestly can’t wait. I’ll stop here for now to not ruin any surprises!
Do you have any plans coming to Nigeria to impact the future generation?
Definitely. I currently run The Queen Becca Foundation to not only help the youth in London, but also Nigeria, where this year alone, I have raised money to provide food to some orphanages, donate over 100 period pads to young girls and also sponsored three girls to continue their secondary school education in Ilesha, Osun State. The main reason I do this is to give children a better future as they will also be in charge of our future.
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