Activist and entrepreneur raised in Brazilian favela is new “Miss Germany”

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Activist, entrepreneur and actress Domitila Barros is the new “Miss Germany.” The 37-year-old contestant was elected on Saturday evening at an event held at the Europa-Park Arena in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, the pageant organizers announced. Barros lives in Berlin and was born in Brazil, where she grew up in a favela.

According to her own description, “Miss Germany 2022” was strongly influenced by her childhood in the northern Brazilian favela. Her parents founded a project for street children in which she had been involved from an early age. She taught the children to read and write and did so using a method that involved acting and dancing.

AWARDED BY THE UN

Barros received a “Millennium Dreamer Award” from the UN in New York for her work with the street children project. She later moved to Berlin, where she completed a master’s degree in political and social sciences and stayed on after her studies. The new “Miss Germany” is not only an actress and model, but also a green influencer, advocating a sustainable way of life online.

According to her own statements, Barros has also been a socially committed entrepreneur since 2017. She founded a swimwear brand that creates jobs for mothers in Brazil.

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST

“Due to my childhood in a less privileged part of the world, I have experienced firsthand the effects of environmentally harmful actions. That’s why sustainability, environmental protection and social justice values are so dear to me,” Barros writes in her self-introduction on the Miss Germany website.

The Miss Germany pageant was fundamentally reformed two years ago. The candidates are to be more diverse and, according to the organizers, no longer judged solely on their appearance, but also on their personality and achievements.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error