Reigning Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi is stepping forward this Woman's Day to make her voice heard as she partners with 1st for Women in a national campaign dubbed Living Fearless is Liberating.
The 26-year-old, who has become a beacon by encouraging women to come forward and be counted, admits that fearlessness does not mean being immune to fear, but simply being courageous enough in how one lives their life.
"And liberation in today's world could mean something like being free from the imprisonment of our own minds. It also means being free from societal standards that are forced on us on a daily basis. All of which we are aiming to promote to all women," she said.
She admitted that she, too, had fears that she had confronted.
"I have had so many fears in my life. One of the most recent ones being that I would be rejected by people as their Miss Universe, that I wasn't enough, and would fail because I looked different to any other Miss Universe people were used to. But I soon realised that what I thought was my weakness, was actually my strength.
"I tapped into it, and I owned who I am completely. Now I am confident, comfortable and fearless because I turned my fear into a strength."
Experts agree that while fear has its benefits and is a vital response to physical and emotional danger, for women, fear is omnipresent.
Author and speaker Monica Berg explains in her book, Fear Is Not an Option, that fear is powerful enough to keep us from achieving our goals, and living our best lives, said Tunzi.
"Once you decide fear isn't an option, you are left with only the choice to change, to shift your consciousness, or to take action," she said.
Gender inequality is one of the biggest challenges faced by women across the world, according to Tunzi, her participation in such campaigns to further champion the message of impartiality for women regardless of race or creed, is important.
"I will always stand by my stance of women taking up space. Taking up space means so many things, but it starts with recognising your right to belong in spaces; to exist. It means to be unapologetic for our opinions and voices. It means to be bold and confident in spaces you occupy. It means to show up and boss up," she added.
Her campaign seeks to encourage women to break free from judgment, the fear of criticism and the fear of not being enough.
"Living fearlessly is liberating," she said.
"That's the message we want to impart to the women of South Africa this Women's Day and beyond.
Here are tips from Tunzi for conquering fear and becoming fearless:
Learn to understand what your fear is and embrace it.
Write down your fears so that you can look at them face-to-face. When you are done facing them, prove them wrong.
It's not as bad you think. These are words I always recite to myself. We always imagine the worst, and most of the time, the reality is not as scary as how we imagine it.
Be optimistic! Always try to change fear into a challenge.