Tears of Gratitude: Miss SA Opens Up About the End of Her Reign

Photo Credit: Miss SA; Natasha Joubert

Miss South Africa, Natasha Joubert, got real about the beauty of saying goodbye to the dreams we’ve realised. In a transparent and teary session, she reflected on the end of her reign in the same way a friend would—reminding us that even the biggest dreamers and achievers go through the grief of an era ending:

South Africa (23 July 2024) — Life may be a stage, but it is not an endless scene. At multiple points, we are forced to change wardrobe, take deep breaths as we prepare for the next act, and, of course, bid farewell to the characters we met (and have been) along the way. Transitioning is never easy, especially when it means the end of an era we worked so hard to experience. Often, we’d much rather talk about the journey instead of its ending. But the ending is its own journey and story worth telling. And, the more we get real about that, the more we normalise the beauty of saying goodbye–which is exactly what current Miss South Africa Natasha Joubert did recently by opening up about the end of her reign.

Taking to her Instagram stories, a teary-eyed Natasha assured her audience that these were “good tears”. True to the refreshing openness South Africa has come to know and love her for, Miss SA got real about the end of her era and reign as the darling of our country—something many people who have had to prepare for the end of their own dream-come-true chapters will resonate with.

For Natasha, it’s about accepting that in three weeks, the best year of her life and one brimming with so much purpose and fulfilment, is coming to an end.

“Why don’t we talk about how hard it is to end off a reign and such a special chapter in one’s life?” Natasha mused aloud before leading into an open expression of what her version of that looks like right now.

Joking about how she has already had therapy sessions about this, Natasha showed South Africa a side we don’t often see when it comes to highly publicised achievements and even shared that the question ‘What’s Next?’ can be triggering as she is yet to answer that question for herself.

Miss South Africa’s ‘tears of gratitude and reflection’ moments remind us that even those who have had the country’s eyes on them are just people. And that the experience of grieving a dream realised is something universal.

From leaving a job we loved to switching passions and preparing to find a new dream in a future unwritten, there’s something to be said about grieving the chapters of our lives we’ve loved dearly.

But as Natasha says, it’s okay if something isn’t going to be the exact same or give us the same sense of purpose. And as she’ll be responding to all those who ask her what’s next: