Sarte cheerfully tells how the beauty queens went. For the past four months, she’s been training every weekend, from walking the catwalk to taking a photo. Her hard work was rewarded: in the final she was allowed to take the crown of Miss Holland. “I had a great time, during the track but also in the final,” Sarti says. She thinks it’s great that she is now able to compete for the title of Miss Earth. “Miss Earth is one of the most relevant beauty queens, I think, because the environment is so important.”
He sparked Sarti’s interest in sustainable fashion long before her beauty pageants. For example, she was on the media team of the New Fashion Association. “Now I’m committed to an eco-friendly wardrobe. I’m trying to create more awareness about it slow fashion. This means that I give tips on social media where, for example, you can find vintage clothes or how to choose a good sustainable fabric. I sew sustainable clothing myself using eco-friendly fabrics.
Sarti wants to get rid of the stereotypes surrounding beauty pageants. “My appearance may fit the stereotype of missing candidates, but I am more than just my appearance. I think it is a shame for a woman to be judged just because she conforms to beauty ideals. It is as if people think: ‘She’s beautiful, so maybe she can’t do anything’ Another.” I once mentioned that I was going camping, and then someone said, “Oh, can you do that?” I thought, “Behave normally, of course I can,” she laughs.
What do you want to convey to the audience in particular? “I hope women will act less according to society’s expectations, but they should look more at what they like. And you shouldn’t care about stereotypes surrounding femininity, eg that ‘being feminine’ equals ‘weak’. Your femininity doesn’t make you any less powerful, so embrace your femininity.”
