In a room in ‘t Kraaiest in Breda, dozens of women are busy practicing for the final of a miss election on Sunday. High heels, beautiful dresses and the best makeup. Everything is pulled out of the closet for the Brabant preliminary round of the Miss Universe election.
In high heels and in a row the women are waiting for them to enter the stage. “We are all practicing a lot here. We learned the opening act yesterday and that is already going pretty well,” says Charlot van Gisbergen.
The 29-year-old Charlot was born in a farmer’s family from Hooge Mierde. “My father has pigs, an uncle has goats and two other uncles have cows. The sobriety is in me. I now look completely beautiful, but actually I am just a farmer’s daughter.”
Although the world gives her. “I love challenge, walking catwalk, dancing and I like to inspire people. I want to give people a voice. And those are actually secretly the things that fit a miss election.”
In two weeks, Charlot will be fighting in the final in Uden for the title ‘Miss Universe Noord-Brabant’. All women from the age of 18 can participate in this category. In addition, a ‘Miss Teen’ (15 to 18 years old) and a ‘Miss Beauty’ (19 to 27 years old) are also chosen from the 37 candidates.
“I have left a lot of friends about it.”
The 17-year-old Jamy Peters from Schijndel knows all too well what it feels like to be Miss Teen. She won the title last year. “A lot is coming to you.
“And you get a super beautiful crown,” she adds laughing. “That is really the dream of every girl. You just feel like a princess.” Although there is also a downside to the dream. “Yes, the crown is heavy. If I drop it off, there is even a dent in my head. Anyway, who wants to be beautiful must suffer pain.”
Next to Jamy is a possible successor to De Schijndelse. It is Jasmijn van Sambeek from Oss. At the age of fifteen, she is the youngest participant this year. “It is really great and very special to experience. Everyone is so sweet too.”
As a small child, she did not dare to dream that she would be here today. “I liked to make myself up and do my hair. But this is a girl’s dream. I look forward to the final.” What Lizzy van der Hoeff is also looking forward to. “It is exciting, but also very nice. I really enjoy it. Just practice everything well and then it has to work.”
“The most important thing is to grow.”
Last year the 18-year-old from Eindhoven also participated in the Miss Beauty category. “I learned a lot at the time. This year I wanted to participate again, because there is always room for more growth. I do this with so much pleasure. It just really became my passion.”
The winners of the final of the Brabant Miss election on 8 February can also compete for the national title later. “The final is a icing on the cake, but the most important thing is to grow and to bring things you have learned here,” Charlot van Gisbergen concludes.
