A matter of good taste

A few weeks ago, my home country Belgium made international headlines. Unfortunately, it wasn't for our chocolates or beers. Although it did concern a matter of taste: the coronation of Miss Belgium. Angeline Flor Pua was elected the most beautiful woman of our nation. A true ambassador for our country. She will also represent Belgium in the upcoming Miss Universe competition.

I must admit that I'm not a fan of beauty contests. They’re a relic. To me, they prove there's still much left to be done for female empowerment and equal rights. And I’m happy to see my own daughter choses a different path. But it’s a free world. So, I can accept that other young women aspire to take part. All that glitter and glamour. Who doesn't want to become a star?

Usually the event goes by unnoticed. I have no clue to who won last year or the years before. But this time was different. Upon her election, Mrs Pua faced fierce racist abuse on social media. When I read about it in the newspaper the morning after, I felt ashamed and very sad. And that didn't improve when the story made international headlines later that day.

Although born in my hometown Antwerp, Mrs. Pua's parents have their roots in the Philippines. They actually met in Antwerp and fell in love with the city and each other. A fairy tale, quite appropriate. But unfortunately with a very powerful villain: racist, narrow-minded people.

Later that day, my confidence was restored. I was driving somewhere with my son. We were chatting away, about nothing in particular. He told me that Anya had her hair done and that she looked really lovely. Anya is my cousin's daughter, who lives in Brazil. She's fluent in English and Portuguese. And, she has a dual nationality: Belgian and Chinese. We also talked about our relatives in Spain as if we see them every other day. It got me thinking.

To my children, there is no such thing as borders. They connect to people around the world. They have friends with their roots in Japan, Morocco, The Netherlands, ...  who visit our home daily. And occasionally there is also a person with only Belgian roots joining us.

The same goes for my company. With satellite offices in New York and Lisbon and sales people everywhere we need them, we are quite a colourful bunch. I love it. I even adore it. I have always found it an enriching experience, exchanging culture and heritage, values and customs, and of course... food and drinks. It brings people together more than anything else.

Over the past few years, I've learned a few words of Japanese from my children's friends. I also know what traditions or rituals Muslims have during Ramadan. And, I've learned to eat Thai and Chinese food the right way. I can't understand why people would want to miss out on all that. It makes me a better person, a better mom at home and a better manager on the job.  And I'm getting more curious by the day.

We must respect everyone and everything. We are all entitled to pursue our own interests and beliefs. But we are not free to ignore the interests and beliefs of others.

Our world is a village. My son is leaving for the US soon, my daughter has an internship in Nepal. My cousin married a Chinese woman in Brazil. Their daughter isn’t fluent in Dutch, nor Chinese but has English and Portuguese as a mother tongue. That's our brave new world. Pretty soon we'll all be citizens of the world. A few narrow-minded people may make fun of that. But history will remember us, not them.

So, I'm with Angeline Pua. For Belgium, for the World and the Universe. You?