It's a video that deeply touched her followers. This Monday, October 20, Iris Mittenaere appeared in tears on her Instagram account. The former Miss France and Miss Universe, accustomed to displaying a radiant smile, this time showed a much more vulnerable side. In tears, the young woman confided that she was experiencing a moment of intense emotion after having realized one of her teenage dreams.
“I'm so emotional, it's annoying.”
In the short video posted to her story, Iris Mittenaere struggles to string two words together. “I’m going to say it and share it with you… Oh, it’s annoying! I’m so emotional, it’s annoying,” she says between sobs, before adding a sentence in the caption: “I wanted to tell you but I couldn’t.” A few hours later, she took up her pen to explain the reason for this uncontrollable emotion.
The former Miss Universe, now 32, revealed that she had just attended the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York on October 15. A symbolic event for the 16-year-old who was already dreaming of this glittering world. “Since I was 16, I started working weekends in a restaurant to get my hands on what I dreamed of. I spent my first wages on the thing that I dreamed of the most… and at 16, it was Victoria's Secret,” she wrote sincerely.
The dream of a lifetime
As a teenager, Iris Mittenaere was fascinated by the “angels” of the famous lingerie brand. She spent hours watching their fashion shows on the family computer, copying their hairstyles, outfits, and even their gait. “I think that’s what made me want to enter the Miss Flanders competition later,” she explains. This first step into the world of beauty would change the course of her life: a few years later, she became Miss France, then Miss Universe.
“Being invited as the French representative to the show was like giving that dream come true to the teenager I was,” she confides. “I think she would have been even more moved than I was. I was shocked, moved, petrified, and happy to be there all at once.”
Between gratitude and imposter syndrome, Iris Mittenaere wanted to share this moment of vulnerability with her 3,5 million followers: “There’s me posing in front of the photographers in a sequined dress, but above all there’s young Iris screaming at every passing angel with wings.” A sincere and inspiring post, which reminded everyone that even the greatest successes often begin with the dreams of a teenager who only half believed in them.
