Wed | Oct 1, 2025

From pageantry to bodybuilding

Nastassia Haughton wins Fit Model title in debut

Published:Wednesday | October 1, 2025 | 12:06 AMO’brian Wynter/Gleaner Writer
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Haughton is encouraging others to step outside the norm and try something different, as you just never know where it could take you.
Contributed
Haughton is encouraging others to step outside the norm and try something different, as you just never know where it could take you.
Late nights, meal prep, and relentless focus were all part of Nastassia Haughton’s preparation for the competition.
Contributed
Late nights, meal prep, and relentless focus were all part of Nastassia Haughton’s preparation for the competition.
Haughton claimed the Female Fit Model title last month at the Mayberry/JABBFA National Senior Championships, her first major bodybuilding competition.
Contributed
Haughton claimed the Female Fit Model title last month at the Mayberry/JABBFA National Senior Championships, her first major bodybuilding competition.
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From the stage of the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant to the world of competitive bodybuilding, Nastassia Haughton has shown that elegance and strength can coexist. On September 20, the 2025 pageant contestant stunned the crowd at the Mayberry/JABBFA National Senior Championships, claiming the Female Fit Model title in her first major bodybuilding competition.

Haughton’s success in the sport reflects more than physical transformation. Behind her poise on stage lies resilience, discipline, and dedication, all qualities that have driven her through a demanding and unexpected new arena.

“It was hard work. A lot of late nights, a lot of determination, and discipline because I’m a foodie,” Haughton told Lifestyle, laughing. “We have to diet and we have to [do] meal prep. But, with my trainer – Henry, my friends, and especially my sisters from the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant behind me, I had a community that pushed me to keep going. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Her transition from pageantry to bodybuilding was inspired by the people closest to her. “My community always said, ‘Nas, you have a good body, girl – your body is tea!’ ” she shared. “So I’m like, you know what, let me put the good body to good use. So that’s what happened.”

Haughton wasn’t the only Miss Universe Jamaica 2025 contestant on the bodybuilding stage; Barbie-Ann Mudahy also competed.

Despite her radiant confidence on stage, Haughton admitted she didn’t walk into the competition expecting an easy win. “I went to training the other day and I was like, wah me a do yassuh?’” she said, laughing. “But then I realised that there were different categories. I also did not look at myself to say, ‘oh, I’m going to win or I want to win’. I was like, let me have some fun and do it for the experience. My girls were cheering me on. So I was like, you know, win or lose, It’s going to be great.”

Her background in pageantry gave her a head start in discipline and preparation. “Coming from Miss Universe Jamaica East, where we had to eat right and diet from the regional pageant, then Miss Universe Jamaica nationals, dieting and eating clean were already part of my regime,” Haughton explained. “I had no breaks in between so it wasn’t hard for me. So when I stepped into this, my body was already used to the process. It just came naturally.”

Haughton believes the Jamaica Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Association competition carries deeper significance. “It shows that there are different forms of beauty – outside of pageantry,” she said. “Whatever body type you have, whoever you are, you can shine. It’s also a healthier way of living.”

She added that her journey demonstrates the value of stepping outside the norm and trying something different, showing how diverse women and people can be.

As for what’s next, Haughton is keeping her cards close to her chest. “I’ll definitely enter again next year, but whether it’s the same category or something more challenging… lips are sealed,” she teased.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com