“Even my mother got nasty reactions on social media,” she reflects.
The North Holland trans model instantly became world news when she was elected Miss Netherlands on July 8. This year was one of many ups and also some downs for Rikkie Kollé. “I am now finally myself, but I was judged harshly for that,” she says in Glamial.
Miss Netherlands
In the latest Glamial, Rikkie looks back on an eventful year. “A nice challenge, that’s how I saw participating in Miss Netherlands. I wasn’t thinking about winning, but if I got far, maybe I could be a role model for all those little Rikkies as I call them; young people who – just like me before – know that they were born in the wrong body, but encounter all kinds of difficulties,” she says. “I personally needed that a lot. My parents have always supported and accepted me, and I am very grateful to them for that. But I often felt alone and lonely because my peers did not understand me.”
She explains: “When you’re nine, ten or eleven, it’s very intense. I needed someone I could look up to. Who I could talk to. A positive example whom I could emulate. So that is my main goal as Miss Netherlands: to be visible, to speak out and hopefully open doors for the new generation. I entered with that intention and won, so yes, I was quite shocked when I noticed how people responded to me after the election.”
A challenge
How did this news reach her? “I didn’t even realize it until my sister came to me with her phone the day after. “Look what they write about you,” she said, shocked. “If I meet you, I will do something to you,” I read under a news item on Facebook.” Rikkie was threatened online and adjusted her behavior accordingly. “Who walks past me on the street? Who’s looking at me like that? That first week as Miss Netherlands was quite a challenge: on the one hand I was overjoyed and proud, but suddenly I also had to deal with hatred and fear for my safety,” she explains.
“I also made world news for a while, because major talk shows, international news programs and newspapers were talking about ‘that trans woman’ who had just been elected Miss Netherlands. Everyone thought something of it, and yes, many of those opinions were negative. My family also suffered: my mother even received nasty comments on social media about how she could have brought me into the world and how she should be ashamed,” she shares. “Besides the fact that my mother and sister received hate messages and that I had to fear for my safety, I found that the most difficult: I was now finally myself and was judged harshly for that. I still find that bizarre. I mean, I have no impact on other people’s personal lives at all. Why are they so concerned?”
Grateful for the stage
Still, she says she is grateful for the whole adventure. “Little by little, more fighting spirit emerged in me. The fact that people are reacting so strongly just means that it’s a good thing that I’m so visible. I am now extremely grateful for the platform I was given. I get emails from people all over the world sending their support. Sometimes they honestly admit that at first they didn’t understand anything to do with trans, but now they do thanks to my story. That’s what I do it for, and that – together with the support of my family, friends and the Miss Netherlands organization – gave me the motivation to continue positively and enthusiastically.”
You can read the full interview with Rikkie Kollé in the latest Glamial. Bibi Breijman and Carolina Dijkhuizen also talk about the eventful year they have had in our December edition. Now in stores!
Text: Agnes Hofman | Photos: William Rutten
