Miss Earth Schweiz – Beauty and Awareness!

Geri and I Joined Miss Earth Schweiz

Miss Earth Schweiz turned 10 this year, and Ask The Monsters was invited to be part of the celebrations, so Geri and I got dressed up for the big evening, and drove to the new Umwelt Arena , the first “green”Arena in the world, just outside Zurich.

This has been a significant moment for both of us, as recently we got more and more involved in the delicate topics like pollution, plastic in the sea, sustainability and green ideas.

What is the Show About

Can beauty serve a cause, and how? Miss Earth is an organisation that tries to raise awareness concerning our environmental responsibilities and they do this through beautiful and big hearted women.

Home is a 2009 documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. During the show, the public was delighted by a sneak peak of this incredible movie and very touched by the strong images.

We went backstage , where the girls were having their hair and make-up done. It was obvious that they were a bit nervous, but that they also knew each other well and loved to be together. During the weeks preceding the beauty pageant, they had been sharing fashion moments, voluntary work, catwalk classes, dancing classes with elderly people and so on – and a lot of humour too! One of the main differences between Miss Earth and any other beauty competition is exactly how the girls are actively working together, not only for photo shootings, but also for social and environmental causes.

Fashion With A Heart

In the backstage we also met the CEO of Diamond Luisant, who showed us the beautiful evening dresses ready for the final part of the show: all eco-friendly, made of recycled fabrics, and totally glamorous – the brand is specialised in evening gowns and, in general, for the show business. We also spoke with Stefano Bertocchi, Communication Manager for Bonprix, the show’s main sponsor. We had turned up late so we were afraid he would be upset with us. Instead, Stefano took plenty of time and showed us the Arena, then introduced us to some of the people of the jury and organisation, and finally explained the philosophy of the whole competition.

In short: Miss Earth Schweiz is authentic, has some passionate people behind it, and really revolves about being green: the arena, the fashion, the sponsors, the work done, the people involved.

The Winner

Manuela Oppikofer, from Lausanne, is Miss Earth Schweiz 2016. Among the 10 finalists, she was the only one who couldn’t really speak German and ended up talking in French, her mother tongue. Instead of looking worse for that, she won the audience hearts when she confessed that she would love to help other people that, like herself, didn’t have many chances in life- especially to be educated. She then talked about her love for books and.. I can’t remember exactly what she said, because she gave me tears. I do remember the way she made me feel: moved and hoping she would win. I think the jury felt exactly the same.

The Future

Manuela’s first duty as a Miss will be a trip to Africa with the Red Cross, and of course she will be working as a model for bonprix. Other engagements will be featured on the Miss Earth Schweiz website.

Thank you to the whole organisation and… we will be there again!