Plot twist (not really) Miss Netherlands is really a mister. As of the latest news, beauty pageants, alongside bathrooms, and female sports, have been officially included in the list of women’s spaces that are no longer for women. Rikkie Valerie Kolle, a biological man who identifies as a transgender woman has won the Miss Netherlands beauty pageant. Truly, Rikkie comes across as an authentic and heartfelt individual who has experienced significant challenges in life. Critiquing her victory isn’t about opposing her personally; it’s about expressing a legitimate concern regarding the potential disappearance of competitions and spaces intended exclusively for biological women.

Taking a look at the runner-up in the contest makes it pretty obvious that the judgments of the women in the pageant were not based on any meaningful metrics or meritocracy. It’s not about beauty, the quality of their answers, or even the most astounding talent on stage. Nope, their main concern seems to be virtue signaling – using these events to show off their perceived progressiveness and what they think is right and moral in today’s society. And you know what’s considered moral these days? A biological man claiming the crown in a female pageant. Ironically, wokes have consistently advocated for canceling beauty pageants, over objectification and unrealistic beauty standards, until today when they decided to halt their efforts. Beauty pageants have become a worthy pursuit in a females life, well as long as the female is a male.

This pageant has once again revealed trans women’s association of stereotypical aspects of womanhood to being a woman- Wearing makeup, a pretty dress, and smiling does not define one’s womanhood; in fact, it is not even a mere indication of being a woman. Being a woman means being able to create a human life, being a nurturer, being feminine and graceful, strong yet gentle and so much more. The cruel reality is, regardless of what you choose to identify as, the biological reality of men will exclude them from ever experiencing womanhood. So, they are left with performing womanhood- following baseless stereotypes of what is considered womanly that tend to be degrading to most women. Awarding the title to a biological man clearly implies that men are just better at embodying womanhood than women themselves these days.

The Miss Netherlands win is just one more example of women being told that our biological systems aren’t deemed unique to us. It is astounding to me that the entire world is teamed to appease the feelings of a small minority at the cost of biological women being forced out of sports, sororities, and spaces like shelters and female-only prisons. The situation has escalated to the point where women are being deprived of their womanhood. A mother is now referred to as a ‘birthing person,’ breastfeeding is termed “chest feeding,” and vaginas are labeled as ‘front holes.’ All in an attempt to cater to the sensitivities of an exceptionally tiny portion of the population, as a result, dehumanization more than half of the population. The absence of gender-neutral terms for penises raises the question of why we only see this phenomenon in female spaces.

In today’s reality, biological and scientific facts are disregarded as trans women, who have obvious physical advantages (greater muscle mass, bone density, greater cardiopulmonary capacity, etc.), are unfairly competing and exceling over biological women in sports.

This is particularly distressing considering the immense struggles women have endured to reach the position we are in today. In 1967, women like Katrine Switzer faced physical aggression from men for participating in the Boston Marathon. Now, we have our own category and the chance to compete professionally in sports, only for our progress to be undermined by trans women.

Women are becoming increasingly aware of the seriousness of what’s unfolding—an evident systematic attempt to gaslight us into feeling like semi-beings whose needs don’t count, whose protections are disregarded and whose opportunities are forgone for the inclusion a minority. Our remarkable ability to give birth and nurture life is being downplayed and the profound mother-child bond, a timeless aspect of nature, is being ridiculed. Feminism originated from a focus on exclusivity, with our battle centered on the rights of biological women, not on promoting inclusivity or supporting every progressive movement.

With that being said, if you believe that Miss Netherlands is merely a beauty pageant, reconsider!