At 22, Rikkie Kolle was elected Miss Netherlands on Saturday July 8, 2023. This edition of the competition, which took place in Leusden, in the province of Utrecht, will go down in history. Because, the young model is the first trans woman to win a beauty pageant in the country. A small revolution that is part of a more global change, since the Miss Universe contest in 2012 authorized the participation of transgender women. Another trans candidate had already led the way. This is Angela Ponce, crowned Miss Spain in 2018, a period when transidentity and gender issues were not as considered as they are today. Next step for Rikkie Kolle: Miss Universe, whose election will take place Saturday, December 16, 2023 in El Salvador. She will therefore be the second trans woman to participate in the global competition. And if the jury is as seduced as that of the Miss Netherlands competition, she could well, why not, become the first trans Miss Universe! “This finalist dynamited the whole show. Her story is very strong and bears a clear mission, we are convinced that the organization will collaborate with a lot of pleasure with this young woman”said the jury of the competition, reports The world Monday, July 10, 2023.
“I am proud to show that it is possible”
Rikkie Kolle was born in Breda to Dutch and Moluccan parents. [les Moluques sont un archipel indonésien, ancienne colonie néerlandaise, ndlr] and was already known in the Netherlands as a model since her participation in the TV show Holland’s next top model in 2018, in which she was among the finalists. From now on, she becomes a real “role model” by winning the crown of Miss.“It’s unreal, but I can call myself Miss Netherlands 2023. I’m so proud [que] I have no words to describe my happiness. I am proud to make my community proud and show that it is possible […] And wherever you are in the world, I want to be there for you and be the example that I missed” wrote the beauty queen in the caption of a series of photos of her coronation published on instagram Monday, July 10, 2023.