MISS Germany 2024 is 39 years old, an architect and mother of two children, and has German citizenship. Nothing strange so far, it’s a shame, however, that this victory didn’t go down well with some: the reason would be that Apameh Schönauer was born in Iran. Its origins, in fact, were the cause of racist insultsthreats and harassment launched via social media by numerous Germans, who do not consider Schönauer “German enough” to represent the beauty of the country.
Racist insults to Miss Germany, Apameh Schönauer
Miss felt the blow, but with great determination she did not let herself be discouraged: «NI didn’t expect the reactions to reach this point». The newly elected president announced her commitment to women’s rights, particularly in Iran. But you, at the same time, have stated that you will help immigrant women in Germany integrate into society while preserving their culture. For her, beyond everything, this is what is important.
Iranian origins and prejudices
Apameh Schönauer was born in Tehran. Her parents left Iran with her and her little sister so that “they could live in freedom” and the whole family moved to Germany, where they took citizenship. It wasn’t an easy journey, Miss said, during which she immediately had to deal with prejudices and racist attitudes from other people. Today, Schoenaer is 39 years old and has been living in Berlin for some time now.
Apameh Schönauer on the evening of the Miss Germany proclamation (Photo by Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The case of Miss Japan of Ukrainian origins
These controversies about the Misses are quite common, also because societies are changing and today’s adults are also the children of the first generation of immigrants who left their countries for the most varied reasons. A similar complaint was also raised last January, when Carolina Shiino was elected Miss Japan 2024.
The girl, in fact, had Ukrainian origins. A useless controversy, as much as the German one, given that Shiino had left her country when she was 5 years old because she had been adopted by a couple from the Land of the Rising Sun and she had obtained Japanese citizenship in 2022.
How beauty pageants are changing
The Miss Germany beauty pageant has undergone a radical change since 2019, becoming much more inclusive. It is no longer just the physical appearance that is judged, but above all the personality or having a “special” life.
Among the participants there were, for example, Tamara Schwab from Bavaria, who has been living for two and a half years with a heart donated to her thanks to a transplant, but also Kristina Medrjewski from Dinslaken who has a rare autoimmune disease and must use a wheelchair to get around. Among the changes also the removal of the age limit, which previously prohibited women over 39 from participating.
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