Sarah Jane Waddell ready for the world

She sees the pageant stage as a platform for artistic and cultural expression and as she puts it “empowerment wrapped up with national pride.”

The critics who cite exploitation issues and say women ought not to be paraded in such a manner “don’t understand what we do and why we do it…they don’t get how a small nation like ours could compete with others in this field and win,” she said. For her, the opportunity to wear the sash and the crown comes loaded with responsibilities.

“I’m an ambassador of Trinidad and Tobago. I’m not just Sarah Jane Waddell when I go out there, I’m Sarah Jane Waddell, the beauty ambassador and I take that very seriously. I’m not just going to bring the crown home, I’m going to open a window into our country and to talk about what we are doing…I’d actually like to let people know about our renewable energy projects and how we are building sustainable communities here at home by investing in these projects.” As she says the words, “renewable energy” her eyes light up and she learns forward a bit in the chair she is sitting in to make ensure that her voice is being recorded clearly.

She discussed her pageant success, her preparation for the international pageant in December and what she has been up to since winning the local title, and when she walked into the Port-of-Spain office of Woman’s Weekly people noticed. It’s hard to miss her — she’s stunning, a svelte beauty with gorgeous almond eyes. She breezed through the door in a classic black dress, red stilettos and matching clutch purse but also wearing an apologetic look for “being late.” Within a few minutes of sitting down she was ready to chat, despite relaying a tale of traffic woes that included getting ticketed.

She is happy to talk about her win saying that the Miss T&T World pageant offered her something she didn’t get the first time around.

“Every pageant is different and what I liked about this one was that it allowed me to play to my strengths… a pageant is like a good relationship you can tell when it feels right and I’m happy I signed up though initially there was a bit of hesitation,” she says.

Waddell explains that her doubts centred on the process and whether she would be asked to “be someone I’m not.” She then listed a few of the things she is not - a Barbie doll and six feet tall. She later settled on the Miss World pageant because to her, it offered a chance to do more and it played to her philanthropic side.

“I grew up knowing that there is beauty in being unique,” she says.

The 25-year-old grew up in Diego Martin but left TT at age five when her parents moved to Barbados because of work. They later moved to Costa Rica when she was nine, and at age 12 she returned to Trinidad, but only for a few years before going off to study.

She also grew up confident in a household with two older sisters who she said were “very self-aware at an early age.” Waddell says she would swap books with her sisters not make-up tips, and when they were old enough they would debate issues they believed to be critical at the time.

Even now, she regularly blogs about social consciousness and how its fading presence in the society has resulted in people looking away from the pains of others and “us ignoring a lot of the ugliness simply because it makes us uncomfortable.”

Waddell is currently working with young girls who have been abused and says there is a lot of work to be done in addition to just being there for the girls. She has a problem with people who “would preach protection, protection all the time without also talking empowerment.”

She explains, “I don’t believe it’s healthy to keep talking about protection all the time. We create a victim mentality when we keep talking about these children in this way…I am on the side that preaches empowerment. Don’t get me wrong I support the call for protection.” She plans to double her efforts working with the girls when she gets back from competing for the Miss World title in London. Talking a little about her preparation, she says that it feels like going back to school.

She has regular classes including gym, dance, hair, runway, make-up and sessions on styling.

Her team includes Peter Elias and Terani (wardrobe), Fantasy Carnival’s Richard and Anthony (national costume), Yvonne Popplewell (make-up), Michael Salickram (dance), Richard Moses (fitness), Giselle La Ronde (catwalk), Gary Jordan (photography) and Bally (hair).

Up until recently, Sarah Jane was working as an Accounts executive and copy editor at Ross Advertising. She has taken time off the job to focus on pageant preparation and she misses it.

“I love what I do and I work with some amazing people!” adding that she has received news from the boss that her job is there whenever she is ready to go back.

She speaks Spanish and Mandarin and actually lived in Beijing, China for a period of time after finishing university. She completed her first degree in Political Science and plans to work in diplomacy someday.

She believes that the international title is within her reach saying that her experience, extensive travels and genuine interest in people “will count for a lot.”

Waddell leaves for London on November 18 and will compete in the live telecast of the competition on December 14.