By Kinisha O'Neill, Staff Reporter
LAST THURSDAY night, an attractive and confident Miss Jamaica Universe 2003, Michelle Lecky, showed off a portion of her wardrobe for the Miss Universe contest in Panama June 3. She left the island the following morning to join other Miss Universe contestants in Panama.
Earlier, in a candid interview with Flair Miss Lecky spoke about dating, preparing for the Miss Universe pageant, growing up in Canada and the controversial issue of the light-skinned ideal of beauty.
Flair: There was a lot of controversy when you won the recent title of Miss Jamaica Universe. People were saying you weren't pretty enough to be a Miss Jamaica. How did that make you feel?
ML: Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It doesn't affect me, I am very confident with who I am. The beauty pageants are actually moving away from judging strictly on beauty, they are also looking for girls who are intelligent and can speak well. I think that might have played a part in me winning.
Flair: On a recent television interview it was implied that your light complexion and the silky texture of your hair were the reasons that you won the title. Do you think that these factors actually had a part to play in it?
ML: I don't think I look like a typical beauty queen at all. I've never considered myself light-skinned at all. I think I look a lot lighter with all the lights.
Flair: What is your ethnic mixture?
ML: A little German, Portuguese, Scottish and, of course, mostly Black. Both of my parents are Jamaican.
Flair: When and why did you decide to enter Miss Jamaica Universe, were you being groomed for the pageant long before?
ML: I've always wanted to enter. My cousins have been involved and I just wanted to experience what they told us. And I was not at all being groomed for it,. I never even wore makeup before this. When I made the finals, it wasn't until then that I even decided to tell people that I had entered the contest.
Flair: Where did you grow up?
ML: I did all my schooling in Canada and went to university there and worked a year after I finished. I left home (Jamaica) when I was two. I came back here to live in early December 2002.
Flair: I've heard that you're not really a Jamaican, because you haven't lived here in a long time? Do you consider yourself a Jamaican? Do you plan on living in Jamaica after your reign as Miss Jamaica Universe?
ML: Since I left, I've visited Jamaica every year, without fail. I was usually here twice a year. I've always considered myself 100 per cent Jamaican. I love this country. I'm not going anywhere, and if I do it'll
only be to do my MBA, but I'll be right back.
Flair: What were you doing before you entered the pageant?
ML: I had packed up and just left Canada without anything. Luckily, when I got here I could stay with my grandparents. A week later, I got a job with Payout Online, a partner company with Jamaica National Building Society. I did that because I was looking for a small, new business. I wanted to see the troubles of just opening a business. Actually, I was working right up to recently.
Flair: Could you tell us about your beauty regime in preparation for the Miss Universe pageant?
ML: I've been going to the gym and walking a lot. I am also practising for the interview section by doing interview classes as well as classes to learn poise and grace. I actually use interviews like this one for practice. Otherwise, I am doing fittings for the wardrobe, and I have been doing a little bit of charity work, but not as much as I would like to because I don't have the time as yet.
Flair: Have you got more attention from the opposite sex since you won Miss Jamaica Universe?
ML: I don't think a lot of people even recognise me. It definitely has been different, but not by a tremendous amount.
Flair: Are you in a relationship?
ML: Yes, I'm seeing somebody. We've been dating since February. I've known him for as long as I can remember though.
Flair: What are your goals for the future? Where would you like to see yourself after your reign ends?
ML: I want to be a really respected woman in the community. I would like to go back to school and do my MBA and, in the long term, open a financial consulting firm..
