Anna Lára Orlowska was crowned Miss World Iceland 2016 on Saturday and will represent Iceland in Miss World in Washington DC on December 18. The 22-year-old works in the community center Miðberg in Breiðholt, the Reykjavík suburb where she grew up.
“I’m very pleased. I’ve received countless messages from proud Poles. People are obviously happy about Miss Iceland being of Polish origin,” Anna Lára told Vísir yesterday. She was born in Iceland to a Polish mother and an Icelandic father.
“We have traveled [to Poland] for three months every year and my mom has always been eager for me to learn the language,” Anna Lára says of her roots, adding, “I have never been shy about being Polish like many others. I thought the pageant was a good opportunity to stand up for foreigners in Iceland. Prejudice towards them is a fact. I know it from my own experience, even though I’m not as sensitive about it or notice it as much as I used to.”
“I thought about it a lot before I entered the pageant and figured that if I would win, I might get people to change their mind set. I wanted to use the opportunity and demonstrate that we’re all the same. Now I want to continue to work on charity, especially with young girls. I can imagine running a self-awareness course for such a group,” Anna Lára concludes.
Anna Lára Orlowska/Facebook.
