On February 24, 2024, the German national beauty pageant, renamed the Miss Germany Awards, crowned Apameh Schönauer, a 39-year-old architect of Iranian origin, as Miss Germany 2024. However, this victory was accompanied of a shocking wave of sexist, ageist and racist comments on social networks. Attacks targeting in particular his physique and his origins. The winner, who currently lives in Berlin with her husband and their two children, unfortunately expected these reactions… But not that they would take on such magnitude. However, she responded with dignity. “I will not respond to hate speech. I gladly accept constructive comments, I hide everything else”she communicated in Leadersnet DeutschlandWednesday February 28, 2024. A wave of hatred which will not dry up her commitment, since she is a great activist in favor of the empowerment of women, in particular those from immigrant backgrounds.
“We chose the right person”
“However, these reactions show me how important it is that I work to ensure that women – especially women from immigrant backgrounds – follow their own paths and achieve their visions and dreams.” A speech praised by the director of Miss Germany, Max Klemmer. The latter regrets the outpouring of hatred, stressing that “It shows that we chose the right person.” Not stingy with his compliments on the new Miss, he describes her as follows: “A woman with an important mission. A woman who fulfills her responsibilities“. He also recalls that, since 2019, the Miss Germany competition aims to be more inclusive. “With the concept of Miss Germany, we want to be a model for beauty pageants in general around the world, that women are no longer heard on the basis of their appearance, but on their character, their values and their mission.” It is thus a mother, Anja Kallenbach, who was elected in 2021, and an environmental activist of Brazilian origin in 2022, Domitila Barros.