It’s a great time to be alive. Ladies and gentlemen, the Miss Netherlands pageant took a surprising turn. This year’s crown is awarded to… Rikkie Valeria Kolle, a transwoman. This is a trans woman who, although “assigned” male at birth, “identifies” and presents as a female. This adds an entirely new dimension to beauty pageants. Why rely on historical gender norms, when we can simply rewrite them?

You might want to make note of this. You have been doing womenhood all wrong. Men are the ones who can teach you that little fact. The first frontier was sports, and now it’s beauty pageants. No traditional feminine territory is off limits.

The Netherlands is reeling from the news, and all emotions are on display. There is shock and outrage but also humor, because what else can you do if you cannot laugh at such a ridiculous thing?

Selfies are a popular way for Dutch women to express their concerns. We are bombarded with pictures of women with the hashtag #ikbeneenvrouw. This is a powerful reminder that biology does matter. It’s not for the people in charge of all cultural institutions, but rather to ordinary people.

Raisa Blommestijn of News Program, a critic who is never afraid to speak her mind, wrote a harsh rebuke. She wrote in Dutch: “A man is now Miss Netherlands 2023.” Disgusting. Men are more beautiful and better at playing the role of women than women. Women are being erased under the pretense of progress. We will not allow that to happen.

Jan Roos is a popular opinion-maker and host of Roddelpraat, a popular gossip show. He chose a humorous approach, stating, “As women, you should not be participating in Miss competitions anymore.” It seems that men are also better at this.”

It’s true. Obviously. You think that you are beautiful and special. Well, yes. Yes, but only until men decide they want to look beautiful too and start wearing make-up and dresses. You women will be unable to compete with us once we decide that this is what we want. Please note that I am not the one who says it. No, it’s the experts at the Miss Netherlands pageant. They are the experts. Right?

We men are now able to dominate the beauty pageant scene. Let’s find more spaces that are dominated by women. We may soon teach women how to give birth or offer to help them during their menstrual cycle. In our brave new universe, the possibilities are endless. You must love the progress.