Twenty-eight-year-old Kristal Inshan, reigning Mrs India Guyana will represent Guyana in Sri Lanka in November at the Mrs World Pageant. The pageant is for women who are married.
So far, competitors are expected from 36 other countries: England, Gibraltar, Lebanon, Brazil, Peru, Canada, Singapore, Ukraine, Russia, Scotland, Denmark, Germany, Malaysia, Italy, Dominican Republic, South Korea, Zimbabwe, Croatia, Jamaica, Guatemala, Uganda, Moldova, Georgia, Cherokee, Yakutia, the Philippines, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Fiji, Ireland, Siberia, Vietnam, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States of America. The number of women competing in the pageant is expected to go up.
The Mrs World pageant was created in 1984 for married women and was first held in the US. The last edition of the competition was held in December 2019. Caroline Jurie was crowned the queen but following an incident, she resigned and first runner-up, Kate Schneider of Ireland was awarded the Mrs World 2020 title.
Though there is no local directorship for the pageant in Guyana, Kristal was able to secure a spot in the competition when she applied online some time ago.
She believes the struggles of her early life have equipped her to proudly be an ambassador for Guyana. Kristal grew up with an alcoholic father who took out his anger on her mother. His wages supported his habit and as a result, she often went to school without lunches. Her peers mocked her for being poor. Later when her dad fell sick, Kristal dropped out of school to help her mom provide for the family.
“As the circumstances got more intense, at age 20 I was pregnant with my son. People can be so judgmental of your situation and probably think, why add to it. However, my son was the best thing that ever happened to me, to my life and especially at that time. I am privileged that he chose me to be his mom. He has taught me what true unconditional love is and what it is to selflessly sacrifice everything for love. He has brought much needed stability to my life amidst all the challenges that arise. Every moment that I spend with this little human is way more appreciated than all the things that money can buy,” she shared.
“My younger life did not afford me the opportunity to be myself, but my older life proved to be quite the turnaround. I am now able to enjoy balancing my work and private lives and travelling the world whilst I am at it.”
She is also founder of the NGO Incredible You, which has a mission to celebrate and empower women to never settle for less because of their circumstances. “We all are incredible with the ability to create a sterling destiny, one that is filled with remarkable strength and determination to accept and be victorious to any challenge that comes in the path of any woman. It is my hope and dream to save at least one queen at a time and reveal the Incredible You,” Kristal said.
Among other projects, Incredible You focuses on circumstances surrounding poverty. With COVID-19 leaving many people unemployed, it has helped families who are struggling to provide meals for themselves. Incredible You will continue to provide as much assistance as it can.
In 2019 when Kristal represented Guyana in India at the Mrs India Worldwide pageant, she was awarded the Miss Catwalk title.