From Ballerina to Beauty Queen - Interview with TINEKE DE FREITAS

Meet our cover model Tineke de Freitas - first-time participant in a beauty pageant, and winner of the Miss Trinidad & Tobago-World 2006 title. Th is self-proclaimed ‘un-girly’ girl charmed the judges with her poise, wit, and beauty, and charmed us at Belle with her fun personality, simplicity, and down-to-earth goodness.

Here’s what we chatted about.

Belle: Tell us about your days of being a ballerina.

Tineke: My dance teacher used to put a ruler on my back to make sure that I stood straight! Th is certainly helped not only with my poise and posture, but it prevented me from developing some form of scoliosis! I also did modern and tap dancing—and doing diff erent types of dance helped me to explore diff erent aspects of myself. Dancing helped me to develop discipline, not only during practise sessions, but also during my everyday approach to life—and it is also one of the reasons I can perform with confi dence in front of an audience. It is such a beautiful way to express moods and emotions.

Belle: We know that in your teenage years you were a national swimming champion. What do you do for exercise these days?

Tineke: I make sure to stay fi t by going to the gym, walking, running (well I try to at least!) and doing sports– most recently squash. Exercise is so important for both health and mind, and it makes such a diff erence in the way I feel.

Belle: Surely our readers are interested in knowing about your fashion style. And surely they’d also love to know how you keep your skin looking so fabulous!

Tineke: Usually I wear whatever looks good! I try to keep up with the times, and most importantly, keep comfortable and feel good in whatever I wear. As for any beauty secrets, I wouldn’t say I have any-unless you consider the fact that I have sensitive skin a secret! My regime is cleaning my face twice a day and looking after any dark circles and puffi ness under my eyes. However, I must admit that I’ve been getting many beauty tips since winning the Miss T&T title!

Belle: What are some of your favorite pastimes?

Tineke: Reading, fashion, numbers (hmm....I guess the give away there would be that I’m an accountant!) and exercising. On behalf of my Dad, I’ll add ‘liming!’ I have limited time after work though, so I don’t get to do as much as I’d like. I read all sorts of books...right now I’m reading ‘Th e Power of Positive Th inking’ by Norman Vincent Peale and right before that I read a trilogy based on the life of a Saudi Arabian woman...a real-life story. I also like movies, especially comedies, and pretty much anything with a good plot that can capture my interest. As for music, I like old dancehall and soca, in particular.

Belle: So how did you end up entering the Miss Trinidad and Tobago competition? What are you looking forward to the most?

Tineke: To tell you the truth, everyone who knows me was surprised when I entered! Although I model, being in a beauty pageant is totally diff erent, for example, modeling is a lot about portraying ‘attitude’, but in a pageant the delegates have got to be smiling all the time! It wasn’t exactly my lifelong dream to be Miss T&T, but after much support and encouragement from family and friends, I entered because I realised that I’ve got a lot more to gain than lose from being in the pageant. I’m hoping to become more refi ned not just in body, but in mind as well. It promises to be a fantastic learning experience, and I hope to become a well-rounded woman after it all. I also have the chance to make my country proud, and I’m looking forward to meeting all the delegates and being exposed to their cultures, and being in Poland and experiencing the life there.

Belle: What do you think is the most important strength that you bring to the role?

Tineke: Confidence. I say this mainly because of the many emotional battles that I will encounter along my journey to Miss World; I’ll surely receive not only constructive criticism in every sphere, but destructive criticism as well. When faced with this, I will have to remain strong and confi dent that I can indeed be a true representation of the culture, warmth, intelligence and beauty of our country and its people.

Belle: People say pageants are just about parading pretty girls around in pretty dresses and swimsuits, and that they belittle women. What’s your take on this?

Tineke: Honestly, those were my thoughts at fi rst, but after refl ecting on the women that these pageants produce, I realized that this was truly not the case. Now I see that pageants are about recognizing the worth of women and appreciating their overall beauty and priceless qualities, like warmth, strength, intelligence, ability to manage time—a great feat when having to manage work and training for the pageant—and eff ectiveness in balancing their energy in every aspect of their lives. Being a woman takes a lot more than just maintaining a great face and physique— it’s also about being able to go through hardships while carrying on in life. We women tend to be more emotional creatures, and as such, are more vulnerable to breaking under pressure. However, we show our true strength by overcoming these hardships, while at the same time successfully playing the roles of lover/wife/mother/sister/ daughter/housewife/professional and the list can go on and on. Pageants recognise and praise this!

Belle: What do you think sets a Caribbean delegate apart from others on the Miss World/ Universe stage?

Tineke: The seemingly mysterious ethnic mix! Th e fi rst thing people think is, “What does she have in her?” as her obvious beauty is the fi rst thing that strikes them. Caribbean people have a great appreciation for diversity, and they’re naturally warm, friendly, confi dent, and have no qualms about speaking honestly to people and initiating conversations. According to Desmond Tutu, we live in a cosmopolitan world and are a rainbow people.

Belle: So what’s your ethnic mix?

Tineke: I’ve got a bit of just about anything and everything! Chinese, Portuguese, African, Indian...a true ‘callalloo!’

Belle: Professional women often have problems in fi nding the right balance between career and family. Which comes first for you?

Tineke: Family, definitely. Growing up in a family of six showed me the importance of family unity, and the role of each member. My parents have had to, and continue to sacrifice, giving selfl essly for each of us, making us all realise that the material things aren’t what keep us together and get us through everyday life. Th ey’ve taught us the values, morals, and principles that we so diligently display (or attempt to, at least!). My sisters and I have learnt the value of sharing and recognising that we all need each other in this world. Support and encouragement, love and care all start at home, and these infl uence and build character.

Belle: What inspires you?

Tineke: Th e fact that there is so much to live for. Th ere is such a big world out there and so much to live for that if I were to let it pass me by, I’d miss out on a great opportunity to just.....live.

Belle: Tell us about your spiritual life.

Tineke: Spirituality is extremely important in everyday life. I derive my spirituality from my Catholic base, and place a lot of trust in God. Each person has a diff erent way of being in touch with his or her spirituality. For me, I believe that God has a plan for each of us, and whatever He gives us–good or bad–He will take us through.

We at Belle thank Tineke for allowing us to get to know her better, and on behalf of our readers, wish her all the best in the upcoming Miss World pageant on 30th September in Poland. Good luck Tineke! We know you’ll make us proud!

- Tanushree Luthra