The current Miss Belgium, Emilie Vansteenkiste, is officially the first miss with a job: in between her photo shoots, she teaches dance classes for six hours a week. She is the exception to the rule, because normally, having a job is not allowed.
Since the death of her mother, Vansteenkiste (21) has had to take care of herself financially, which is why Miss Belgium organiser Darline Devos decided that she does not have to put her job on hold during her year as a Miss – something that is normally not allowed.
"If you are elected as Miss Belgium, your whole year will be devoted to the beauty pageant. That means that you have to put the things you did before, such as studying or working, on hold," Vansteenkiste told VRT.
"But I am financially alone: I lost my mom and I do not see my dad very often. The hours of dance classes have been my source of income for two years now," she added. "That extra money is certainly welcome. Darline did not want to take that away from me."
Not the only one with an exception
Vansteenkiste is not the first Miss Belgium allowed to benefit from some kind of exception. "Miss Belgium in 2018, Angeline Flor Pua, did not have a job but she wanted to complete her pilot's diploma that year. She was allowed to complete the training, otherwise, she would have lost all her flying hours."
Still, Miss Belgium also has a fixed salary as well as a commission per assignment, meaning that how much she earns per month partly depends on the number of assignments she does. "The organisation also offers a lot of support: you get a car, food, make-up, clothes... and you do not have to pay for gas."
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Still, it was important for Vansteenkiste to be able to continue to give those dance lessons. "Dancing is my life, it is my greatest passion. Your place in the dance world is not guaranteed if you are away for a while. Darline also realised that."
Additionally, the extra income is also useful for later, "when my year as Miss Belgium is over and I want to go back to study."
