Melange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine July 2020 | Page 78

Fifty years have elapsed since
that crown of monumental
proportions was placed on her
head. This historic win, although
tarnished by attendant
controversy, feminist movement
uproar and pageant-night
disruption, was proudly revisited
in her 2020 commemorative
book, “Miss World 1970. How I
entered a pageant and wound
up making history.”
Her captivating story has
inspired many over the years
and for the 50th anniversary, her
experience was memorialized in
the 2020 film, “Misbehaviour”
which premiered in London,
England, this March. Jennifer
shared that attending the
premiere in London resulted in
a bit of déjà vu for her. Emerging
from her hotel, being met by
a daily press onslaught and
appreciative fans wanting her
autograph took her back 50
years! Reflecting on her 1970
win, Jennifer said, “From the
minute I was crowned, I realized
the enormity of the task ahead.
The Caribbean islands may not
have realized what it meant for a
woman of colour to have won this
title, but England certainly did. I
vowed not to be disgraceful but
to be remembered as Miss World,
the first recognizable woman
of colour who left an excellent
example for others to follow.”
Jennifer admits that over the
years, she re-invented herself on
many occasions, not wanting
to be defined as having just
being a Miss World. She feels
blessed to know that her nowgrown
children saw her as
being a good role model for
them. And today, as we see
women of colour gracing the
stage of international pageants,
emerging victorious, Jennifer
Hosten comes to mind each
time.
Now retired from her
psychotherapy practice,
Jennifer’s days are spent quietly
in her Ontario community with
her group of Chorale singers,
her local church and various
outreach places that help the
less-fortunate.
Jennifer Hosten’s story will
continue to be told for
generations, because she is a
legend.