Transgender woman wins Miss Netherlands beauty pageant

Ricky Valerie Kolle at the Miss Netherlands 2023 Final at the AFAS Theater in Leusden. Photo: MSAMS/MEGA

A transgender woman has won Miss Netherlands for the first time in the 94-year history of the Dutch beauty pageant.

22-year-old Ricky Valerie Kolle won the title on Saturday and will continue to represent her country in the Miss Universe pageant in December. .

«I DID IT!!!!» Ms Collet wrote on Instagram after the event.

“I am so proud and happy that I cannot describe it. I made my community proud and showed that it is possible.

“And yes, I am a trans woman and I would like to share my story, but I am also Ricky and that is what is important to me. I did it on my own and enjoyed every moment.”

She will be the second trans candidate to take part in the international competition, which will take place this year in El Salvador, after Angela Ponce, who entered the competition in 2018. Earlier that year, the Spanish trans model was crowned Miss Spain.

Miss Colle, of Dutch and Moluccan origin, grew up in Breda, between Rotterdam and Antwerp.

«Voice and role model»

At 5 feet 11 meters, Miss Collet towered over her peers. participants at the AFAS Theater in Leusden.

In her entry into the competition, she said she wanted to be «a voice and a role model.»

“I know better than anyone what it’s like to feel alone and not be surrounded by only positive thoughts,” she wrote.

Announcing their decision, the jury stated: “This finalist shone throughout show and made the most progress.»

She has «a solid history with a clear mission.» ”, the jury said after the verdict was delivered in Leusden on Saturday evening.

Ms Collet’s performance as the second transgender Miss Universe candidate reflects how far the pageant has come since its first show in Long Beach, California. in 1952.

In 2012, the ban on transgender participants was lifted, although the competition was co-owned by Donald Trump.

The former president reportedly praised the participation of transgender women in the competition only to to vow to «defeat the cult of gender ideology» earlier this year.

Jakkafong Jakrajuthatip, a Thai media mogul who is a transgender woman, bought the Miss Universe organization in 2022 for $20 million.