Issue 05: Crowned Empowerment

Crowned Empowerment

Perhaps, when one thinks of beauty pageants, the movie Miss Congeniality comes to mind. A comedic film starring Sandra Bullock about an FBI agent who goes undercover as a contestant and gets trained to be a pageant winner. This may be a fun point of view, but in reality, competing in a pageant is a tough journey as are many competitions, as we saw with the Tokyo Olympics. Beauty pageants may not be an obvious platform for young female empowerment, yet two inspiring young Dutch women, who have given their all to compete within their country and on the up-coming international stage, may challenge your preconceived ideas. It takes determination, mental toughness, competitiveness, lots of hard work and sheer grit to get there and be crowned a winner!

In June of this year Dilay Williemstein won the Miss World Netherlands title, and Lizzy Dobbe was named first runner up. After a year of COVID shutdowns, the Miss World event was rescheduled for December 2021. Miss Netherlands, Dilay Williemstein provides some insight into her up and coming event.

But first, some context. The tiny European country of the Netherlands introduced the Miss World pageant in 1951. The Dutch know it as Miss Nederland. Once the winner is crowned, she is then groomed to compete at the international Miss World Pageant event, which is held in a different country every year. This year marks the 70th anniversary of Miss World, scheduled to be held in December in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Miss World organisation has raised millions of Pounds for charities that help underprivileged and disabled children around the world.

There are many responsibilities that come with the title of Miss Netherlands. She must perfect her talent and her physical and mental strength. She needs to be stage ready and prepared for the moments of truth during the interview part of the competition. She must keep fit, participate in public speaking engagements and represent her country as an empowering ambassador.

As a former pageant judge and international talent coach for Miss Netherlands World, Miss Netherlands Universe and the Miss America program, I have a deep understanding of what it takes for young women to compete internationally. For more than a decade, I worked with hundreds of self-disciplined, smart, confident, and talented women pursuing their dreams of becoming the next Miss World, Miss Universe or Miss America.

Kimberly Kleczka was overjoyed to talk to Dilay Williemstein about competing in the Miss World contest.

Interviewer: Dilay, how do you have to present yourself as an ambassador for your country?

Dilay: I want to be a role model for the younger generation, support and show them that we can all help each other. It is important to use your own personal experiences to help other people.

Q: Do you have to portray a certain image as Miss Netherlands?

Dilay: Yes, you do. For me, it is about being a strong, empowering woman who speaks up for her own beliefs.

Q: Tell me about your scholarship?

Dilay: I won a one-year academic scholarship in Neuromarketing and Behaviour Psychology. Hein Heijen, a specialist and expert of Neuromarketing presented the scholarship to me at the Miss Netherlands pageant.

Q: Your next step is competing in the Miss World event, what sort of preparation are you doing?

Dilay: I’m getting lots of help from all of my coaches. I will be working on my sports, talent, interview skills and English language.

Q: What talent will you be performing at Miss World?

Dilay: I will be singing and dancing to a song that I have personally written.

Q: Every year more than 140 country representatives, have a specific task, they must complete, prior to The Miss World event. This platform is called Beauty with a Purpose. The contestants can set up their own charities or work with specific charities that help their communities and countries. What is your platform for Beauty with a Purpose?

Dilay: I created my own campaign to raise awareness about mental health. I will be interviewing and documenting other people’s stories in a non-judgmental and safe platform.

Q: What brings you personal joy as Miss Netherlands?

Dilay: Being around my Miss Netherlands family, perfecting my singing, dance routine and helping others is what makes me happy.

I also had the pleasure of speaking with Lizzy Dobbe (first runner-up) and Dilay about their perspective on sustainability and style.

Q: What is your personality style?

Lizzy: Classic and elegant because I think you should always look my best as a Miss. I also think a classic and elegant look radiates strength and confidence.

Q: What does sustainability mean to you both?

Dilay: Sustainability improves the quality of our lives, protects our ecosystem, and preserves natural resources for future generations. Some examples of this are wind energy, solar energy, crop rotation, water efficient fixtures and green spaces.

Lizzy: For me, sustainability means taking good care of our planet and thinking about the future. I am a big nature lover. I become calm when I have a lot of green around me. I really enjoy a walk in the woods or in the park. To maintain this natural beauty, it is important to think about sustainability. I try to make my personal contributions through simple adjustments in my life. Examples of this are buying second-hand stuff and clothes, separating rubbish for recycling, not wasting food and cycling or walking instead of taking the car.

Q: How important are colours to you? And do you have a favourite?

Lizzy: I think colours are very important. You can evoke a certain feeling in someone with a colour. For example, red conveys a sense of warmth and enthusiasm, and black conveys a sense of elegance and authority. If you want to convey a message, you can make it even more powerful by wearing an appropriate colour. My favourite colour is white because it represents hope peace and tranquility.

Q: What outfit would you both wear on a typical day?

Dilay: On a typical day I wear a dress or a nice suit. During summertime, I wear happier colours like pink, yellow, blue and in wintertime I like to wear a lot of pastel colours.

Lizzy: A classic dress with heels is very typical for me.

Q: Do each one of you have a favourite piece of clothing?

Dilay: I have a beautiful long dress, red with special figures and long sleeves.

Lizzy: My favourite is a long golden prom dress, in which my mother was married to my father.

My parents are great examples for me. They have been together since a young age and are still in love with each other after all these years.

Q: Where do you both love to shop and what were the last two items you purchased??

Dilay: I bought a brown 2-piece set from Na-kd. The pants are flare pants, and the top is with one arm closed and one arm open. Zara and Na-kd, are my favourite places to shop!

Lizzy: I really enjoy shopping in second-hand stores because I think it is important to think about sustainability. You will also find one-of-a-kind items in second-hand stores that no one else has. When I go on holiday, I always check out vintage stores. I find the most beautiful clothes. I recently acquired a white vintage dress that I bought in a 2nd hand shop and a long white, wide blouse that you can wear with a belt as a summer dress.

Q: Do you have a fun accessory that you guys really like?

Dilay: I have a purse made entirely of pearls; I love it!

Lizzy: I have an old pair of sunglasses that belonged to my grandfather. They are very old pilot sunglasses. I have not worn them yet; they are very precious and sentimental to me. So, I keep them safe.

The IMTAC family wishes you both all the best of luck with your amazing journeys ahead. Miss Netherlands, do you have a special message you would like to share with our young readers?

Dilay: Thank you for interviewing me, Kimberley. Being part of the Miss World Netherlands has always been my dream, and I gave it 100%. My belief is, if you really want something in life, you should go for it with determination and work hard. You can do and be everything that you strive for. Always believe in your dreams, you can make them into a reality.

JOY QUESTION

Q: What brings you the greatest joy?

Dilay: Being with the people I love and practicing my singing, dancing and developing my creativity makes me very happy.

Lizzy: I feel joy by helping others and making a difference. As a social worker I have found that if I can help people, I get a positive feeling. I believe that being kind to each other is one of the most important things in life. What also brings me happiness is being surrounded by the people I love. My family is everything to me.