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Rust (dpa) - She prevailed against many women with special stories: The Thuringian Anja Kallenbach is the new "Miss Germany".
The 33-year-old from Tiefenort in Bad Salzungen in the Wartburg district was chosen in Europa-Park in Rust, Baden, and got the sash from her predecessor Leonie von Hase.
For her, success “cannot be thought of, but simply made - with a lot of humor and passion,” said Kallenbach shortly before her victory.
The mother of two claims to have had a difficult time at school, but eventually completed a degree.
She was the managing director of a retail company and rides a mountain bike.
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Kallenbach is one of 16 candidates from all federal states who made it to the final.
Also there were an activist who fights against the discrimination of fat people, a survivor of sexual violence, a Jehovah's Witness dropout and a woman with an artificial anus.
The participants had to present themselves in different rounds and make their message clear.
"Miss Germany" has been coming up with a revised concept since last year: After much criticism from feminists, it should no longer be about looks, but about promoting authentic and inspiring women.
Etiquette training before the finals, bikini shows in front of a male-dominated jury and bans on participation for mothers are a thing of the past.
Shortly before the final, several participants emphasized that they had only participated because of the new concept.
"I would not have participated in a beauty contest," said Cynthia Junghanns, the "Miss Hessen".
"Who needs that, someone running in a bikini?"
The prevailing ideal of beauty is not good for many young women anyway.
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"Miss Hamburg", Julia Kremer, said before the show that she would have had no chance as a fat woman in a normal contest anyway.
Fat people are still severely discriminated against: for example, when she applied to a moderation school, she was told that she would only find a job if she lost weight drastically.
«Now I'm going my own way.
Call me fat, call me fat - for me these are no longer weapons to make me small. "
Isabelle Stoppel, the "Miss Lower Saxony", said that the participants had grown together to form a community and that competition was not an issue for them.
"I've made friends here for life."
There was also a climate of intense reinforcement on stage.
So the top four had to praise each other.
The sentence: "You can be so proud of yourself" was repeated several times.
Those who had left did not have to disappear behind the stage, but instead took a seat in a “support-her-lounge” (“support-them-lounge”).
And “Miss Baden-Württemberg” Weihua Wang even said that she and the other participants had demonstrated in the preparatory camp that unity in diversity can be achieved.
But the concept is not entirely without contradictions.
The appearance should no longer play a role, nevertheless the women appear in different outfits.
It should be about breaking clichés.
But the categories in which the women present themselves sound, at least in part, quite like cliché femininity: For example "Family & Home" or "Beauty & Care" ("Beauty & Care") .
The organizers always emphasize that women should pull together in society and that “Miss Germany” is about supporting one another.
Nevertheless, one after the other is thrown out, and only one can win in the end.
The fact that the team of moderators repeatedly emphasizes that here are all winners does not change anything.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210228-99-623235 / 2