Miss Universe Netherlands 2023 title has been for the first time conferred upon a transgender model Rikkie Valerie Kollé on Saturday, July 8 at the AFAS Theater in Leusden.
Rikkie Valerie Kollé, a Dutch-Moluccan model lives in Breda. The 22 year old succeeded Ona Moody as the most beautiful girl in Netherlands and will now prepare to represent the Netherlands at the 72nd Miss Universe (Miss Universe 2023) in El Salvador.
Further, Nathalie Mogbelzada, 26, from Amsterdam, was named first runner-up while Habiba Mostafa and Lou Dirchs were awarded Miss Congeniality and Miss Social Media, respectively.
The new Miss Universe Netherlands made history as she became the first-ever transgender woman to win the national title. She is also only the second transgender person to have participated in the prestigious Miss Universe pageant. The trailblazer before her was Spain’s Angela Ponce, who made history in 2018.
Kollé, aspires to be a prominent voice and role model for the Queer community, and aims to dedicate her career to supporting individuals who have faced rejection from their families during their transition journey
