For the first time, a transgender contestant has been crowned Miss Netherlands and will represent her country in the upcoming Miss Universe competition.
Rikkie Kolle, 22, was born a male and in 2018 took part in the TV-show Holland’s Next Top Model, where she reached the final. That was the same year Angela Ponce from Spain became the first trans woman to compete in Miss Universe.
Kolle is of Moluccan and Dutch descent and says she aims to be a role model for what she termed “little Rikkies”, because “as long as you always remain who you are, there is no one who can be above you.
“I am very keen to advocate for all little Rikkie’s who face rejection from their families, and their transition into the person they desire to be,” she said.
According to the Miss Netherland judges, the winner “has beamed throughout the show and has also made the biggest progression along the way. She has a rock-solid story with a clear mission”.
Advocates for those such as Kolle applauded her win, with Transgender Network Netherlands calling the victory “inspiring and important”.
The organisation’s president Remke Verdegem said: “Positive role models can give you the strength to keep standing up for yourself. Rikkie shows how beautiful and important it is to be yourself.
“For trans people who face rejection from their family or environment, this unfortunately plays out for many people in our community,” Verdegem added.
On Sunday, talking to her 29,000 followers, Kolle posted on Instagram: “I made my community proud and showed it can be done. And yes, I am a trans woman and I would like to share my story, but I am also Rikkie and that is what counts for me.
“I want to thank the judges and everyone from the Miss Netherlands team for the trust, this is just the beginning.”
However, her victory has divided opinion.
Dutch political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek posted on Twitter: “A man just won ‘Miss Netherlands’ 2023. Considering the fact that we live in a post-truth world, I wasn’t even expecting anything else. It’s all so predictable and unoriginal at this point.”
Others claim Kolle won for purely political reasons, while some seem to be concerned about what they see as increasing male dominance in areas such as female sports. They also question why feminism doesn’t seem to protect biological women.
Among critics, many believe the runner-up, Nathalie Mogbelzada, had a much better chance of winning the contest given her looks, a bigger following on social media and the fact she speaks six languages.
Zover is het dus gekomen: een mooie dame verliest de verkiezing tot #MissNederland omdat er kennelijk per se een 'trans vrouw' moest winnen.
Dit is al even degoutant als wat in de sportwereld gebeurt.
Het feit dat ik u niet hoef te zeggen wie wie is hieronder, zegt genoeg. 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/1HlLznSV5B
— Sam van Rooy (@SamvanRooy1) July 9, 2023
