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" I see myself as a very energetic and still strong and optimistic lady,
living my dream." - Hellen
Interview by David Natanawan for Critical Beauty
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Please tell us something about yourself, your full name, age, height, vital stats, where you came from, educational information, your
interests and hobbies and other important facts about yourself.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH for this opportunity to tell the world who I am. I am Tanzanian, my name is Hellen M. Dausen and
I am 23 years old. I am 5'7" and I weigh 47 kilos (about 104 lbs.) Currently I am at the United States International University in Nairobi,
Kenya pursuing a Bachelor's degree in International Business Administration. This is my last semester (phew!) My interests and hobbies are wide range:
cooking, reading motivational books (currently reading “Who will Cry When You Die" by Robin Sharma), dancing, playing with
my dogs and traveling. But I also love swimming and going to the gym followed by sauna and massage. I can also be
found hanging out on Facebook as I love to connect with people. But most importantly I want everyone to know that my
true passion is modeling and acting. I read my horoscope almost every day, I think it gives me insights of my days ahead
and most of the things they state are true - or maybe wishful thinking? But whatever, the truth is my daily horoscopes
give me that extra boost. By the way I am a Sexy Scorpio and have a deadly sting if you get me mad (wink)!
Who influenced you to join your country’s national pageant prior to winning the title to represent your country at Miss Universe?
How does he/she influence you to join your country’s national pageant?
Well, they were two people. A close friend of mine and my elder sister’s friend.
I managed to turn down my close friend by bringing up many excuses but my sister’s friend was onto my case. He was constantly
sending me messages through Facebook and telling me that it won’t cost anything if I try, and that I should imagine the
opportunities that will come if I win. In fact he argued that even if I don’t win it would be great exposure for me and
so on. So I was like, “What the hell! Lemme just do it!”
What preparations have you done for the coming Miss Universe 2010 competition?
So far I have enrolled in a gym, I need to have a great body when I get to Vegas. Haha!
I have to make sure my wardrobe is complete so my Team and I including my national director are working on that.
I practice my catwalk every day; it has to be perfect too. I read a lot about my country and plan to visit different touristic sites too.
How would you describe your fashion sense and style?
In style I believe less is more. I put on something that displays my mood of that day.
I like it simple but classy. I love my African roots, too. I have a special collection of African attires; it’s amazing and so
unique! When it comes to style icon I think that it is difficult to pinpoint one person but I love in totality the style of
Angelique Kidjo and also of Halle Berry.
What is your idea of fun? How do you enjoy yourself to have fun?
Fun is anything you can do to achieve inner happiness that includes a big smile on your face
and a sense of serenity. Most of the time I have a day out with my girlfriends, either at the beach, shopping, movies, attending
a fashion show and cracking jokes! And I also have fun on my own; I like spending time alone at the spa, it is so fulfilling and
I feel peaceful after the session.
What is the essence of being a woman?
It is the ability to be emotionally intelligent and creative. There is a whole scientific fact behind this that involves the brain,
however before this answer turns into a biology class I would just say that I am so glad I was born a woman with a female brain (smile).
Who is your hero/heroine? And why did you choose him/her as your hero/heroine?
A hero/heroine is anyone who has been pushed down to the ground, takes a deep breath and rises up,
then brushes her/his shoulders off and moves on. In this case, my mother is the greatest heroine. I know everyone thinks so but my
Mother truly is! I have watched her experience when she hit rock bottom (when I was a teenager) and then I watched her rise to victory.
It was not a Hollywood film or a good fireside story; this was a daily, true life-developing story. Reflecting on it, this was an
amazing and very difficult process that I was privileged to witness and it has made me appreciate her even more, every single day.
Which of the two would you choose and why?
Beautiful or smart? I choose smart. But when I was small I used to think beautiful. However, as the prettiest girl at home
and school, I realized with time that it is more important to be smart. You know you can get away with every thing when
you are smart, but only with some things when you are only beautiful. As a smart woman, you can make wise choices and twist
things whenever possible, to your advantage. Don’t ask me how, I will tell you some other time (wink).
City or countryside? Countryside of course, it’s so quiet and far away from the city noise and all that hooting and traffic.
I love connecting with nature. It’s peaceful there and there are fewer obnoxious people; in fact in Tanzania you can live in a
place with no other people! And at this point in time, it sounds more attractive after so much limelight.
Money or fame? If I have to choose I would pick fame, because money would follow naturally. How? Listen. Even if I were broke,
I could sit on the pavement and beg. People would crowd around me and pour money on me just so that they can tell others.
“Do you know Hellen Dausen? I saw her today begging on the roadside and I am the one who brought her lunch today”. ROFLMAO!
Deaf or mute? Wow wow wow! Seriously, I wanna hear what people say, or be able to watch TV and listen to music.
But it’s hard to choose, because I love to talk too, I love to be listened to; on the other hand, I can do this in writing like now!!
So after some deliberation, I will go for mute.
Hot or cold? I definitely like it hot!
Past or future? Future for sure! When you dwell on the past, you steal from your future. And I don’t want to be a thief
of my own destiny. I want the future; there are greater things there!
Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift? Hands down, Lady Gaga! She amuses me and impresses me all the time I see her. She has a
unique style, weird but in a good way. I love her music, too; she’s one of the artists whose entire album I dare to buy as I
am guaranteed to enjoy every song.
How do you see yourself five years from now?
I see myself as a very energetic and still strong and optimistic lady, living my dream.
Are you involved in the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign in your country? If yes, what organization/group you are involve in and how do you
promote the organization’s/group’s cause?
Yes I am. Actually, I am the goodwill ambassador of PSI in my country, and it’s a worldwide
organization that deals with marketing and sensitizing people about various health related issues including HIV/AIDS and other fiseases.
And I have been receiving a lot of information and education about HIV/AIDS and I will be doing youth advocacy soon.
The Miss Universe Organization has been criticized for the glamor shots of the Miss USA 2010 delegates wearing sexy lingerie.
Do you think it is degrading for women to pose in bed wearing only lingerie?
I do not think it degrades women, because the girls were just having fun. When you are part of a
fashion shoot, it is like acting, you capture the mood and it’s not who you really are. The photos in Vegas were well done artistic
photos and good fun for the girls - nothing more.
What is the first thing you will do if you win the Miss Universe title?
I will kneel down and pray to God, and thank him so much. Then the rest will just fall into place.
If you were Miss Universe, how would you promote HIV/AIDS awareness all over the world?
I think that first of all as an African, I would carry a very important message and highlight
the effects that this deadly disease is having on our continent in particular with women and children. The high risk group where
the prevalence of HIV AIDS is highest is among the youth and girls are the most vulnerable. I would target on specifically this
group and let these young girls know that they have a choice to live a better, longer and healthier life if they protect themselves
from HIV/AIDS. But I also would be the voice of hope and comfort to the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS, as I would let
them know that having the virus is not the end of the road and that they should always live with hope. In this aspect I am
happy to see several countries with the help of various foundations and organizations push for the distribution of subsidized
anti-retroviral drugs to HIV/AIDS patients. I would highlight the importance of continuity of such programs all over the world.
Several Miss Universe winners have posed nude for some glossy magazines or photographers after their reign or even during their reign.
If you were offered to pose nude, would you accept it? Why or why not?
I do not think that I have to strip in order to make it. My personal conviction is that posing
nude for the sake of fame is not the way. Also I come from a very conservative society and had a conservative upbringing, where nudity
is considered improper and humiliating. I would never want to make my family and my compatriots sad or ashamed of me.
Lastly, what is your special message to all the people reading this interview?
I am aware that Critical Beauty readers are beauty experts and critics, and it has been a
privilege to be featured here and to give them an insight to my thought and personality. My special message is that when I will
compete with other 80 girls in the most prestigious beauty pageant, I will be among those contestants who realize that winning
is not only about the exact shape of your eyes, the cup size of your breasts or the length of your leg, because it is beauty
that captures the attention but personality that wins the heart. The total package of beauty and personality makes someone the
winner. Winners are always the ones who dared dream and worked toward that dream without a doubt. So with this belief, I go
forward in August to Vegas and I wish all readers the same focus, zest and passion to achieve their dreams!
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARIA SARUNGI TSEHAI, NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF TANZANIA
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