Student Saartje goes to the Philippines for Miss Earth pageant

After a long process lasting two years, IBCoM student Saartje Langstraat was crowned Miss Beauty of the Netherlands. In December, she will be going to the Philippines to compete for the Miss Earth title, a beauty pageant where the emphasis is on the environment and sustainability.

Saartje cheerfully explains how the delegates are chosen. Over the past four months, she spent every weekend training, from how to walk the catwalk to how to pose for a photo. Her hard work paid off: in the final, she was chosen Miss Beauty of the Netherlands. “I had a great time, during the process but also in the final,” says Saartje. She’s over the moon that she can now compete for Miss Earth. “In view of the importance of the environment, I think Miss Earth is one of the most relevant beauty pageants.”

Sustainability

Saartje’s interest in sustainable fashion emerged long before she started taking part in beauty pageants. For example, she was part of the media team of the New Fashion Society. “Now I’m trying to promote a sustainable wardrobe. I want to create more awareness for slow fashion. So I give tips on social media about where to find vintage clothing or how to choose good sustainable fabrics. I myself make my own sustainable clothing using sustainable fabrics,” she says.

Breaking down stereotypes

Saartje wants to move away from the stereotyping relating to beauty pageants. “How I look may meet the stereotypical image of contestants in beauty pageants, but I’m more than my appearance. I think it’s a shame that women are discriminated against purely because they fulfil beauty ideals. As if people think: ‘She’s beautiful, so she probably can’t do anything else.’ I once said that I was going camping and someone said: ‘Oh, can you do that?’ I thought: ‘Come on, of course I can’,” she laughs.

What’s her main message to the audience? “I hope that women will stop trying to meet social expectations but look more at what they enjoy doing. And not be concerned about stereotyping relating to femininity, for example that ‘being feminine’ is equal to ‘weak’. Your femininity doesn’t make you less strong, so embrace your femininity.”