[imagesource: Mr South Africa/Facebook]

It’s that time of the year again, when the top 10 finalists are announced for Mr South Africa.

If you were hoping for an improvement on last year’s trainwreck, you’re going to be disappointed.

Once again, we’re seeing social media backlash and a general disdain for the pageant, as well as anger directed at the pageant’s CEO, JP Robberts.

It all started with the release of a series of images, of the top 10 finalists in the competition, posing in unbuttoned jeans, showing off their sponsored underwear.

Three of those to give you an idea of what we’re working with here:

Image: Diane Jordaan / Mr South Africa 2020

Image: Diane Jordaan / Mr South Africa 2020

Image: Diane Jordaan / Mr South Africa 2020

Then the social media shaming started, along with the inevitable comparisons to the Miss South Africa pageant:

Women in the Top 10 of Miss SA vs men in the Top 10 of Mr. SA pic.twitter.com/b16MlTSqwB

— Onety-One (@THISisLULE) November 11, 2020

Frame one 😍😍.

So ku Mr SA you can come without a 6pack and looking like David Beckham but Miss SA you need to be oVictoria Secret kinda vibes? https://t.co/0ymtCE6yET

— 🤍 (@_MsBrown_) November 11, 2020

I should have entered since the requirement is just being alive

— Leonard Alpha 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@Leonard_Allpha) November 11, 2020

People were also quick to point out that the photographer clearly didn’t know what they were doing:

#MrSouthAfrica Mr SA pics against the wall be like…😂 https://t.co/CJz8jU4dYG pic.twitter.com/LNpTGemDaN

— THEMBI (@ThembiKanye) November 11, 2020

There’s always something wrong with Mr SA I don’t know if it’s the picture quality or what but… pic.twitter.com/737dTLRVUy

— Ok_Sbalii (@Sisiipho_M) November 11, 2020

Mr. SA needs a new photographer. Every year horrible photos. pic.twitter.com/ThYJ7RcCCp

— Mohale Mashigo (@BlckPorcelain) November 11, 2020

As you can see, and per City Press, the quality of the photographs didn’t do anyone any favours.

Former participant and shareholder in Mr South Africa, Ashraf Ismail, weighed in:

“JP is responsible for this epic failure, not the finalists or the photographer. JP was not prepared to invest in the photo session and the photographer had to work for free. Cutting corners will cost you, and that’s the reason the photos look amateurish.”

Ismail and Rudi Baker (a former owner of the Mr SA trademark) are currently caught up in a legal dispute with Robberts.

Diane Jordaan, the woman behind the lens, says that the criticism is uncalled for.

“The finalists are not professional models. They don’t know how to pose in front of a camera, ” Jordaan said. “I have no control over how they pose in front of the camera.”

Sorry, but that’s not how professional photography works. Many of the Miss South Africa contestants weren’t models, but they all managed to come out looking fantastic in their photos.

Robberts has defended the competition in the past, saying:

“Mr SA isn’t a beauty competition anymore, not since I took over in 2018. Participants are judged on their ability to be [brand] ambassadors and to set an example for young people. They don’t have to look like front-page models to do that.”

All4Women says that there are those out there, apart from Robberts, who have jumped in to defend the competition.

The point raised was that Mr. SA is a much younger competition than Miss SA and still needs some time to reach the same level of popularity; which will allow for bigger sponsorships and ultimately better content.

I think the kicker here is that women and men are being held to different, and glaringly gendered standards.

Miss SA contestants are required to be accomplished, but also young and attractive, while Mr SA contestants just need to show “attributes such as humility, compassion, integrity and professionalism” regardless of physical appearance.

The pageant itself has been blasted for being unprofessional and poorly managed since Robberts took the reins.

We shouldn’t be taking it out on the poor contestants, though.

They just want world peace.

You can check out the official Mr South Africa Instagram account here, and Facebook here.

[source:citypress&all4women]