Mother of two children, of Iranian origin, aged 39, architect by profession.
On paper, Apameh Schönauer does not seem to have the profile of a participant in a Miss competition.
The young woman was however elected Miss Germany on Saturday February 24, after a long selection process, against 108 other competitors.
On the stage of the Europa Park in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, where this event takes place, the winner expressed her joy.
“I can’t believe it,” she said, very moved.
But this moment of joy quickly turned into a nightmare.
Like Miss France mocked for her haircut or Miss Japan criticized for her Ukrainian origin, Apameh Schönauer was the target of hundreds of hateful comments on social networks attacking her physique, her identity and even her age. : "It's the result of 12 years of wokism, leftism and deconstruction", "Miss Germany like that, I see them every day in the fruit and vegetable sections of hypermarkets" or even "After [the] trans Miss Portugal, the Ukrainian Miss Japan, here is the Iranian Miss Germany. Shitty world.”
Apameh Schönauer works as an architect.
© Private archives
“Showing what it means to be a strong woman”
For more than a week, the new Miss Germany has had to deal with these negative remarks.
Despite this cyberharassment, she tries to put things into perspective.
"I've received a lot more positive and nice comments. Most people have told me how much they love me. I can hear the criticism, but when it comes from someone who is behind their computer and who doesn't have a real name or a real photo, what can I say?" she explains to France 24.
Since 2019, the rules of the Miss Germany competition have changed significantly.
The jury no longer only takes into account the criteria of physical beauty, but also the personality and commitment of the candidates.
During the 2024 edition, Tamara Schwab, a woman who lives with an artificial heart, and Kristina Medrjewski, a young woman paralyzed due to a rare autoimmune disease, took part in the competition.
It is because of this resolutely atypical and modern concept that Apameh Schönauer chose to apply.
“When I became a mother two years ago, I felt like I had to show my daughter what it means to be a strong woman,” she describes.
"When I saw Iranian women taking to the streets to fight for their rights, I found it incredibly courageous. I live freely in Germany and I have a voice. So I told myself that I had to do something,” she adds.
Apameh Schönauer in her mother's arms.
© Private archives
“We must never forget where we come from”
Born in 1985 in Tehran, the young architect never misses an opportunity to talk about her country of origin.
Arriving at the age of six in Germany with her parents, this uprooting was not easy for her and her family: "At the start, we lived in a one-room apartment for four people. We did not know language. In Iran, my father had a business and my mother was a mathematics teacher. We had a good life, but they decided to sell everything and start from scratch for me and my sister. They wanted us to be able to live in freedom".
The young architect is proud of her dual identity.
His parents taught him to love his roots and respect his host land: "They always told us that integration was very important. We must never forget where we come from, but it We must also keep in mind that we are guests in this new country. When you change countries, it is important to bring these two cultures together to be able to live in balance."
With her Shirzan Foundation, Apameh Schönauer fights for oppressed women, particularly in Iran, her country of origin.
© Private archives
During protests in Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, arrested for an ill-fitting veil, Apameh Schönauer created a foundation called Shirzan, a support network for oppressed women: "We organize cultural events that allow people to come together to talk about positive things and not to forget what is happening in Iran at the moment. They are the strongest and most courageous women in the world."
With her scarf slung over her shoulder, the new Miss Germany will take advantage of her notoriety to continue to highlight the fight of Iranian women.
His year promises to be busy.
Despite her new role, Apameh Schönauer does not intend to stop her professional activity or put the brakes on her personal life.
“I’m going to be Miss, architect and mother,” she sums up as a challenge.
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