"The reason why no one takes these things seriously anymore": Miss Netherlands Rikkie Valerie Kolle sparks woke backlash online

On Saturday, July 8, a trans woman named Rikkie Valerie Kolle was crowned Miss Netherlands at the AFAS Theater in Leusden, Netherlands. She made history by being the first transgender individual to have ever won the Dutch pageant. By becoming Miss Netherlands 2023, she will now be able to compete in the much-coveted upcoming Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador in December.

The 22-year-old Rikkie Valerie Kolle later took to Twitter and Instagram to share the news of her historic win.

“I DID IT,” she wrote.

Following her victory and eventual tweet, netizens worldwide have been slamming her and the Miss Netherlands pageant for being “woke.” The fact that a trans woman was chosen as the winner instead of many women vying for the crown and the title made the internet react this way. One user even commented under @EndWokeness’s Twitter post sharing the news:

A netizen criticized the Miss Netherlands pageant for crowning a trans woman as the winner. (Image via Twitter/@EndWokeness)

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“They couldn’t find a more handsome guy than this? Do better, Netherlands!”: Rikkie Valerie Kolle's win earns harsh criticism online

Rikkie Valerie Kolle was crowned as Miss Netherlands 2023 by the reigning champion Ona Moody and the reigning Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel from the USA. The trans woman wore a red gown when she was crowned the winner and was overwhelmed by the announcement.

Later, on social media, the Dutch-Moluccan model actress living in Breda, Netherlands, said she was excited to compete in the ultimate pageant Miss Universe in a few months. After her win, she told NBC she “never could have imagined” that she would even make it to the finals.

Unfortunately for Rikkie Valerie Kolle, many internet users didn’t particularly celebrate her win. Instead, they thought it was a “woke” decision by the pageant’s jury and ended up trolling her. Here are some of the comments on @EndWokeness’s Twitter post:

A tweet asking the Netherlands to do better. (Image via Twitter)

A tweet slamming women who call out toxic masculinity. (Image via Twitter)

A tweet calling out feminists for allowing a trans woman to win a women's beauty pageant. (Image via Twitter)

A tweet saying how we live in crazy times. (Image via Twitter)

A Twitter user makes fun of the winne, Rikkie Valerie. (Image via Twitter)

An internet user says how pageants have become irrelevant. (Image via Twitter)

A netizen said that declaring a trans woman as the winner of a women's beauty pageant is misogyny. (Image via Twitter)

A tweet saying how the other female competitors should have walked away even before the Miss Netherlands pageant began. (Image via Twitter)

Interestingly, although Rikkie Valerie Kolle was the first trans woman to have competed and won the Miss Netherlands pageant, she will not be the first trans woman to vie for the Miss Universe title. In 2018, Spain’s Angela Ponce already contested it.

Not only that, but the brand-new owner of the Miss Universe pageant is also a trans woman named Anne Jakrajutatip. She is an entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ advocate. The Miss Universe pageant has allowed trans people to compete since 2012, before Jakrajutatip’s time. Earlier this year, another openly trans woman named Daniela Arroyo Gonzalez was chosen to compete in the Miss Puerto Rico pageant.

The 26-year-old Nathalie Mogbelzada from Amsterdam was crowned the first runner-up in the Miss Netherlands 2023 pageant. Habiba Mostafa and Lou Dirchs were awarded Miss Congeniality and Miss Social Media, respectively.

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