A good grasp of etiquette could be the difference between employment and unemployment, career development and stagnation, an American model has told Kenyan youth.
Keerah Yeowang, 31, however said etiquette is a lost art and not many people learn about it anymore.
“And it is such a useful life skill and a tool that can be used as competitive edge especially in the workplace, in your career, or in relationships. It is definitely such a valuable tool to use in life. It is something women definitely need to know,” the current Miss Midwest Galaxy 2024 said.
She spoke on Wednesday at the Kenya Assemblies of God Church in Kaa Chonjo, Tudor, where she held a talk with young women.
The beauty from Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the US, said one’s mannerisms when meeting someone in an influential position or during a job interview could be the difference between getting the job and missing out, especially when the competitors have higher educational standards.
“What is missing in the world, in the US and elsewhere, is for older women to get back to younger women especially in the area of etiquette,” she said.
Etiquette includes simple things as how one sits, stands, walks or introduces oneself.
“That is why I talked to the girls about how to sit correctly, how to stand correctly, the importance of posture and confidence when walking into a room,” Yeowang said.
She urged the government to implement programmes that help mould, groom and shape young woemn in the areas of education, etiquette and confidence, especially at a young age when they are impressionable.
“We are in the age where social media is all the rage and we have to be careful of what is influencing young girls.
“Even young men are so easily influenced especially around pre-teens and teenage when they are starting to learn their identities and they are being influenced to go left and to go right,” Yeowang said.
Rev Mary Juma of Kenya Assemblies of God, Tudor, said many associate beauty pageantry with immorality.
However, she said, pageantry is not necessarily about immorality.
She noted that one can have moral values, be a good Christian and still be in the beauty industry.
“We invited Keerah to come talk to our girls on topical issues and to show them that they, too, can reach far but still walk with Jesus,” Rev Juma said.
