The Netherlands’ first black beauty queen on triumphing over bigotry, the relativity of success and the quest for inner peace
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Against all odds,
she became the first woman of colour to win the ‘Miss Holland’ title
back in 1984 (the appropriate designation ‘Netherlands’ was introduced
in the early 90s by grand slam pageant organisers). A semifinalist in
both the Miss Universe and the Miss World contests of that year, her
breakthrough came when she was discovered by the late Oleg Cassini,
once the primary designer of Jacqueline Kennedy and creator of the
‘Jackie Look’. However, what are the eventual consequences of repeated
exposure to racial prejudice in one’s youth? Moreover, do professional
accomplishments outweigh mental and spiritual peace? This is the story
of Nancy Neede,
the Netherlands’ first black representative in international pageantry
and one of this nation’s first intercontinental models.
Michiel Croon ©
“Yes, sad but true”, Nancy sighs when shown an article displaying the discriminatory backlashes that the newly crowned Miss France has faced at the outset of her election.
Born in 1963 in the capital
city of Amsterdam to a white Dutch mother and a black Surinamese father,
Nancy was raised in the picturesque neighbourhood of ‘De Pijp’. “It’s
not like things have worsened. 40 years ago racism was also the order of
the day in certain circles”, she explains. “The only difference is that
as in the 60s and 70s the Netherlands was invigorated with socialism
and online communication channels had not made their entry yet, people
were generally not that explicit”. Regardless of the concealed
name-calling and belittling Nancy and her siblings went through in their
early days, she reminisces about the feeling of safety provided to them
by their -as put in her own words- ‘guardian angels’. That is: her
maternal grandparents. “My granddad would have given his right arm in
order to stand up on our behalf”. Nancy particularly recalls an incident
where a fellow male passenger in a tram depicted her senior brother by
means of the N-word. “My grandfather quickly embraced my brother and
exclaimed: back off, he is my grandson!”.
She is thankful to her
mother for instilling her sense of humour into her children and above
all, for teaching them that being a good person is non-replaceable. “My
mom knew how it felt to be an ‘outcast’ – having met my father by the
age of 17, she went from being a respectable girl to white trash”.
At the same time, she is
grateful to her South American father’s lessons never to succumb to
victimhood. “The life-philosophies of my parents have made me resilient
and helped me to understand from a young age that beauty is only skin
deep”.
ANP PHOTO 27 May 1984 ©
Miss Holland
From a tender age, Nancy was
fascinated by dance. At 9 she started pursing classic and jazz ballet
and three years later she enrolled at the legendary ‘Nel Roos Academy’,
the latter being the bedrock of the actual Dutch National Ballet Academy. “I got to dance in several TV shows in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany”.
At 17 years of age and
standing five feet eleven inches tall, Nancy cautiously started
exploring the field of modelling. While she managed to model for some of
the major Dutch fashion houses of the 80s, she was barely commissioned
for photo shoots. “Black models were not considered commercially viable
in those days either. But once again life had rewarded me with a small
angel on my shoulder”. In this way Nancy refers to the late Ulla
Rossbach, founder of Ulla Models,
the longest running fashion agency in Amsterdam. “She always believed
in me and taught me the tricks of trade”. Through this agency Nancy got
herself her first international modelling chores in Paris and Milan.
Three years later, during
the spring of 1984, Nancy was invited to take part in the Miss Holland
pageant. She agreed, as given her background she was eager to be part of
the contest’s dance numbers. “It never crossed my mind that I would win
– as a matter of fact, my then boyfriend did not even attend”, she
giggles.
In spite of the visible
dismay of some audience members, the panel of judges was unanimously
impressed by the exotic beauty’s elegance, poise and international
dancing and modelling experience. With the coveted crown on her head, a
new challenge laid on Nancy’s horizon: representing her country of birth
in grand slam beauty contests.
Oleg Cassini.com ©
New York
“In retrospect, the
preparations prior to me taking part in these international pageants
were inferior”, Nancy reveals. “While the representatives of, for
instance, several Latin American countries received intense trainings
and arrived at the host venues with an overload of suitcases, I had to
rent my national costume from the Dutch organising committee...”.
Nevertheless, and thanks to her own efforts, Nancy caused a sensation
at the Miss Universe pageant in Miami. Winning the preliminary swimsuit
competition, some missologists are still of the opinion that she should
have been the second black winner in this pageant’s history – she
eventually placed 7th overall.
Two remarkable incidents have always stuck to her in the light of this contest: her eloquent interview
(at 6.21 to 7.28 minute) where the emcee had a tête-à-tête with her
father, who was in the audience. In addition to this, she still recalls
the big scare she went through with her evening gown. “I didn’t have a
proper pageant gown for the finals, so I tracked a seamstress in Miami
to tailor one for me at very short term. To make a long story short, I
found out only minutes before the top 10 evening gown competition that
the dress’ zip at the rear was too short... In the end, my friends and
fellow contestants from Curaçao, Aruba and Australia helped me to get
into the dress”, she chuckles.
Yet, it was at that year’s Miss World pageant in London that Nancy achieved her major upturn. After having advanced to the top 15
(at 6.38 to 8.28 minute), Oleg Cassini the world-renowned designer,
offered her the chance to become his muse. “He claimed that several
judges, included himself, had voted for me to be the winner. He was so
perplexed that I hadn’t won and asked me to become part of his modelling
team – this marked the start of my international modelling career in
New York, spanning over a decade...”.
Grounded
Nancy points out that her
years in New York have taught her three important life lessons. Firstly,
that she was and is able to be independent. Next, that it’s always
important be true to yourself, else you will lose it. Moreover, she’s
convinced that it’s vital not to allow any type of life experience,
neither to go to your head nor to break you. “It’s no secret that your
outer body will be the topic of admiration and criticism several times a
day and on a daily basis. Furthermore, even though one might happen to
be in close proximity to celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Sidney Portier
and Anthony Quinn, as was my case, this should serve as inspiration but
should not to lead to woolliness”.
Nancy admits however, that
modelling, when dealt with professionally, could be a rather alluring
and lucrative profession. “International modelling was a very
fascinating and cost-effective time in my life. I have always taken this
job very seriously, but thanks to my sense of sobriety I have enjoyed
the good side of it while staying grounded”.
Lianne van de Laar ©
Footprints
At a given point, Nancy’s
humanistic though pragmatic perspective on life brought her into contact
with two disciplines that have shaped her life ever since: yoga and
food supplements. While her international modelling career starting
winding down and in the light of the birth of her daughter Nadege 19
years ago, she started looking for a different mode of inner peace.
“Yoga has taught me to stand in my power”. On a more intimate note,
Nancy indicates that yoga
has also helped her to put life-changing events, like the breakup with
the father of her child and dealing with breast lumps, into perspective.
“By means of dietary supplements I offer pure nutrition – all in all, I help people to regain their strength and stand in their own power...”.
Currently running a
successful yoga and healing practice for more than 10 years in
Amsterdam, Nancy is sometimes puzzled by the hardened public debate in
the Netherlands. “I love my country, but I sometimes truly miss the
uplifting and positive ‘New Yorkian’ spirit – in the Netherlands we tend
to easily get into a downward and negative spiral. It’s important for
us never to surrender to the ‘us-versus-them’ mindset and instead become
somewhat more inquisitive about people that might not be part of our
direct circle of familiarity”.
Ultimately, she hopes that
her most important footprints could be resonated with her daughter, to
whom she has always strived to set an example of unconditional love. “No
matter her age, I have always evoked a sense of trust in her
decision-making, including allowing her the space to alter decisions. In
my turn, I’m eternally indebted to her, as she has taught me to be a
more authentic person...”.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-netherlands-first-black-beauty-queen-on-triumphing_us_58736f4ee4b0eb9e49bfbd31
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-netherlands-first-black-beauty-queen-on-triumphing_us_58736f4ee4b0eb9e49bfbd31
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