Miss Netherlands pageant scrapped as ‘the world is changing,’ organizers say

By Lianne Kolirin, Rosanne Roobeek and Mick Krever, CNN

(CNN) — The Miss Netherlands beauty pageant has been scrapped, after the competition’s organizers said it was time for change.

The contest will no longer run, and in its place those behind it have introduced a new initiative aimed at “inspiring” young people in many different ways.

The move comes just over a year after the contest’s judges crowned its first ever trans woman winner, Rikkie Kollé.

A statement on the competition’s website announced its closure and the establishment of a new platform called “Niet Meer Van Deze Tijd” (“No Longer of This Time”).

It states: “After years of history full of glamor, talent and inspiration, Miss Netherlands is saying goodbye to the name that found itself in many people’s hearts. But this is not the end; it is 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 that revolves around mental health, social media, diversity, self-expression and much more. No more crowns, but stories that connect. No dresses, but dreams that come to life.

“Here we inspire young people to be themselves in a world that is constantly changing.”

In a statement sent to CNN, Monica van Ee, director of Miss Netherlands and founder of the new platform, said: “Women are insecure due to, among other things, the rise of social media and its unreal images of beauty.”

Defending the contest’s record to date, she said her team had “worked intensively with participants” over the years, and that the empowerment of women was not just “empty words but a movement.”

The viewer feedback has become increasingly difficult to manage, however.

Van Ee said the reason for dropping the “castings and finals” initially arose from “the obstinacy of the spectator” and criticisms like “she is too White” or “she is too Black.”

“This leads to negative energy every year,” she said.

“Secondly, we would like to use our positive energy instead of always having to get defensive. Now we can reach everyone and provide the right solidarity. We believe in our platform and perhaps a sash and a crown are outdated. But women who support each other and help each other, that has always been important to us!”

Kollé, who was one of two trans women who went on to compete in Miss Universe 2023, used her influence to promote a more inclusive vision of the pageant world.

In a video posted to Instagram last year, she said: “Miss Universe asked us to describe ourselves in one word.

“The word I’m choosing is ‘victory,’ because as a little boy I conquered all the things that came through my path — and look at me now, standing here as a strong, empowering and confident trans woman.”

The beauty pageant world has been forced to modernize in recent years, as the values the shows traditionally embraced do not chime with younger generations.

This year’s Miss Universe, held in Mexico City last month, admitted women aged over 28 for the first time ever. It followed moves last year to lift the ban on including pregnant women or mothers, and women who are — or have ever been — married.

That rule still stands in some pageants, however. Back in September, a New York woman submitted a complaint to the city’s Commission on Human Rights seeking an end to the exclusion of mothers.

The Miss Universe organization came under scrutiny earlier this year as the parent company of Miss USA. In May, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resigned within days of one another amid allegations of mismanagement, toxicity and conditions that impacted their mental health.

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CNN’s Jacqui Palumbo, Ana María Cañizares and Abel Alvarado contributed to this article.