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🇧🇪 Belgium /Culture & Society

Tessa Clarisse, 19, becomes Wervik’s new tobacco queen: “An incredible feeling”

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • Tessa Clarisse, a 19-year-old from Komen-Waasten, won Wervik’s tobacco queen contest and will serve as the city’s ambassador for one year.
  • Organizers removed tobacco-company sponsorship and the cigarette-rolling test after Belgium’s Federal Public Service for Health criticized last year’s event involving minors.
  • Clarisse received an exception to enter because she attended school in Wervik, where her parents work and where she belongs to the KLJ youth movement.

Tessa Clarisse learned only two weeks ago that she could enter Wervik’s tobacco queen contest. On Sunday, the 19-year-old from Komen-Waasten was chosen to represent the city for a year.

It feels very nice to be tobacco queen.

— Tessa ClarisseShe spoke after the jury selected her as Wervik’s tobacco queen.

“It feels very nice to be tobacco queen,” Clarisse said after the jury selected her. “It is an incredible feeling.” She normally would not have qualified because contestants are expected to be born in Wervik, but organizers made an exception because she went to secondary school there.

Clarisse said her connection to the city also includes her parents’ jobs and her membership in the KLJ youth movement. “I know the city quite well,” she said.

It is an incredible feeling.

— Tessa ClarisseShe described her reaction to winning the contest.

This year’s contest looked different. Tobacco brands no longer sponsored it, and organizers removed the cigarette-rolling test. Belgium’s Federal Public Service for Health had reprimanded Wervik and the organizers after minors were required to roll cigarettes during the previous year’s contest.

Tobacco remains part of our heritage, and you do not necessarily have to want to change that.

— Tessa ClarisseShe defended the tradition after the contest faced criticism over last year’s cigarette-rolling test.

Clarisse said the controversy had not affected her strongly, although previous tobacco queens faced criticism. She defended the tradition, saying, “Tobacco remains part of our heritage, and you do not necessarily have to want to change that.” Clarisse added that she does not smoke and does not believe Wervik promotes smoking.

I do not believe that the city of Wervik promotes smoking. It is simply part of our heritage.

— Tessa ClarisseShe explained her view of the contest’s relationship with smoking.
About this summary

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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