Bianca Citron, a second year LLB student and 1^st princess in the Miss Lebanon South Africa beauty pageant, has strong views on spirituality, youth and the rights of women. In the beauty contest she was also awarded the Miss Cedar for raising the most money for charity and Lebanese developments

She was born in Johannesburg to Lebanese parents with a smattering of Italian. She spent most of her childhood in Durban, but has returned to Johannesburg because she believes this is where the opportunities reside. Next month she leaves for Lebanon to compete in the Miss Lebanon Emigrant pageant against contestants from around the world.

Beauty with Brains

Shortly after Bianca was crowned 1^st princess she obtained two distinctions towards her LLB. ‘It took a lot of hard work and planning to do justice to both, but I realised that if I wanted to achieve in both fields I’d have to make sacrifices in other areas of my life.’

Barry Schwartz, head of the UNISA Law department at Boston City Campus, says that a combination of beauty and brains is rare. To have a student who is prepared to invest in the long term benefits of studying whilst also having the drive to develop another side of her personality is a privilege.  ‘It’s all about achieving a healthy balance between a dream and finding fulfilment in more immediate activities.’

Her goal is to continue her charity work and become a successful advocate. She reckons she will most likely specialise in divorce law when she graduates.  ‘As divorces are usually traumatic, I’d take pride in making sure that my client walks away with a good deal.’

Role Model

Being a 1^st princess puts Bianca in the position of being a role model to many young people, particularly girls. Her commitment is to make sure she leads by example and demonstrates that good values, a healthy lifestyle and the advantages of a good education pay huge dividends in the long run.

She feels that many young people have lost their innocence and are grown up way before their time. There’s no denying that having fun with friends is a vital part of one’s life and time should always be put aside for that, but late nights, too much alcohol and drugs take their toll. 

The Fun Side 

Bianca loves movies, dancing and debating. She has also travelled extensively and would love to see every corner of the world during her lifetime.

She is currently in a relationship. In a partner she looks for a charismatic person who is outgoing and trustworthy with a sense of humour and strong character. She is passionate about children and would love to have many.

South Africa 

‘South Africa is an exceptionally beautiful country with a bright future,’ says Bianca. ‘Many doubted our ability to host a successful World Cup, but we proved everyone wrong and held the best tournament ever. It was an inspiring, moving and uplifting experience.’  

What it also showed is that we can be a united, crime-free country. She hopes this continues as there is no better country in which to live. If we get it right more tourists will be attracted to experience our diverse cultures and beautiful foods.

Women’s Issues

For Bianca the most pressing issues facing women are contraception and HIV/Aids. What women need are education about the scourge and how to use contraception to limit its spread. And this needs to begin from a young age.

‘Your body is the only thing you have protection over and it should be treasured.’