Netherlands announces end to beauty pageants

The Miss Netherlands pageant is no longer taking place, and instead organizers have launched a new initiative that aims to "inspire" young people in various ways, according to CNN .

The move comes just over a year after the pageant's judges crowned transgender woman Rikkie Kolle for the first time.

Rikkie Kolle, a transgender woman crowned Miss Netherlands 2023

A statement on the organizers' website announced the end of the competition and the creation of a new platform called Niet Meer Van Deze Tijd ( No Longer of this Time ).

The announcement reads: "After years of fascinating, inspiring history, Miss Netherlands is saying goodbye to many. But this is not an end, but a new beginning. The world is changing, and we are changing with it. Miss Netherlands is transforming into No Longer of this Time: a platform around mental health, social media, diversity, self-expression and more. No more crowns, but connecting stories. No more dresses, but dreams come true.

Here, we inspire young people to be themselves in an ever-changing world."

"Women feel insecure for many reasons, including the rise of social media and unrealistic images of beauty," Monica van Ee, president of the Miss Netherlands pageant and founder of the new platform, said in a statement to CNN .

She said her group had been “working intensively with participants” for many years and that women’s empowerment was not just “talk but a movement”.

Rikkie Kolle before being crowned Miss Netherlands 2023

“We believe in our foundation and maybe a ribbon and a crown is outdated. But women still support each other and help each other, that's always been important to us!”, Ms van Ee said.

In recent years, many beauty pageants have been forced to modernize because their traditional values ​​are no longer relevant to the younger generation.

This year's Miss Universe pageant, held in Mexico City last month, for the first time accepted women over the age of 28. The pageant follows a move last year to lift a ban on pregnant or expectant mothers, and women who are married or have been married.

That ban persists in some beauty pageants, however. In September, a New York woman filed a complaint with the city's Human Rights Commission, asking for an end to the exclusion of mothers from participating.

The Miss Universe organization came under scrutiny earlier this year as the parent company of Miss America. In May 2024, Miss America and Miss Teen USA relinquished their crowns just days after being crowned amid allegations of mismanagement by the organization and pageant conditions affecting their mental health.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ha-lan-tuyen-bo-cham-dut-thi-hoa-hau-185241217182203595.htm