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Miss France

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the racehorse, see Miss France (horse).
For the most recent competition, see Miss France 2024.

Miss France
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersParis
Country representedFrance
Qualifies for
First edition1920
Most recent edition2024
Current titleholderÈve Gilles
Nord-Pas-de-Calais
President
Frédéric Gilbert
National director
Cindy Fabre
LanguageFrench
Websitemiss-france.fr

Miss France is a national beauty pageant in France held annually in December. The competition was first held in 1920, and has been organized continuously since 1947. The trademark for the pageant is owned by the company Miss France SAS, and is a subsidiary of Endemol Shine France. The competition is aired on TF1.

The Miss France pageant was first organized in 1920, under the name La plus belle femme de France (English: The most beautiful woman of France), and was held for one additional year before being abandoned until 1927. That year, the competition was rebranded into Miss France, and was held annually until it was disrupted in 1940, due to World War II. In 1947, following the end of the war, the competition was revived and has been held annually since. In 1954, Guy Lévy founded the Miss France Committee (French: comité Miss France) to organize the competition. Geneviève de Fontenay took over the Miss France Committee in 1981, until departing in 2007. Following the departure of de Fontenay, Sylvie Tellier served as the national director of Miss France until August 2022, when she was replaced by Cindy Fabre. In October 2021, Alexia Laroche-Joubert was announced as the new president of the Miss France Committee, working alongside Tellier and later Fabre. In March 2023, Frédéric Gilbert, a longtime producer of Miss France, was appointed by Laroche-Joubert as director-general. Laroche-Joubert departed from the Miss France Committee in December 2023, and was replaced by Gilbert.

Contestants of Miss France must meet a number of eligibility requirements and first win a regional title which qualifies them for the national competition, representing their region. A number of these regions also organize local competitions corresponding with cities and departments within the region, which must be won first before one can progress to competing in the regional competition. The winner of Miss France resides in Paris during her year of reign in a rent-free apartment, in addition to winning a number of additional prizes and sponsorship deals while receiving a monthly salary. Typically, the winner represents France at either Miss Universe or Miss World, while her first runner-up competes at the other pageant. In some instances, the predecessor of the reigning titleholder would compete at the other pageant or the two would switch years in order to avoid any scheduling conflicts between their assigned international pageant and the next Miss France competition.

The current Miss France is Eve Gilles, who was crowned on 16 December 2023 at Miss France 2024. She had previously been crowned Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais 2023, and is the fourth woman from Nord Pas-de-Calais to win the title.

History

[edit]

The Miss France was first organized in 1920, under the name La plus belle femme de France (English: The most beautiful woman of France). The competition was founded by journalist Maurice de Waleffe, who chose to have the winner be decided by French filmgoers.[1] After more than 1,700 women applied for the competition, 49 finalists were chosen. The competition was held over the course of several weeks, with filmgoers being given a ballot with seven women, and asked to select their favorite. Agnès Souret was selected as the inaugural winner. The following year, the competition was held again, with Pauline Pô winning the competition. However, La plus belle femme de France was later abandoned after 1921.[2]

Six years later the competition was revived under the name Miss France, with a new format organized by Robert and Jean Cousin.[2] Miss France continued to be held annually until 1940, when World War II disrupted entertainment events. The competition later resumed in 1947, following the end of the war, and has been held annually since then. Geneviève de Fontenay, who had begun her career with the Miss France Committee in 1954, became its president in 1981, transforming it into a company, and bringing it to a live broadcast in 1986, when the competition became the first edition of Miss France to be broadcast live on national television on TF1, where it has remained since.[3] In 2011, a competing competition, Miss Excellence France [fr] was launched by Geneviève de Fontenay after her resignation from the Miss France Society in April 2010.[4][5]

In October 2021, Alexia Laroche-Joubert was announced as the new president of the Miss France Committee, working alongside Sylvie Tellier, the national director.[6] In August 2022, Tellier was reported to have resigned her position as national director of Miss France, and was replaced by Cindy Fabre. Tellier continued to serve in an advisory role with the organization, until her departure at the conclusion of Miss France 2023.[7] In March 2023, Frédéric Gilbert, a longtime producer of Miss France, was appointed by Laroche-Joubert as director-general.[8] In November 2023, Laroche-Joubert announced she would resign from her leadership role with Miss France following the conclusion of Miss France 2024, due to her responsibilities as CEO of Banijay France; she was replaced by Gilbert as president upon her departure.[9]

Osez le féminisme, a French feminist organization, sued Miss France and its parent company, Endemol Production, in 2021 for sexist and discriminatory regulations.[10] The lawsuit argues that the contestants in the pageant should be considered employees of the competition, thereby forbidding Miss France and Endemol from engaging in discrimination.[11] A Paris court later dismissed the group's claims and threw out the lawsuit in January 2023.[12]

In April 2024, it was revealed that a museum dedicated to Miss France would open in the town of Saint-Raphaël in the Var department in 2025.[13][14]

Contestants

[edit]

Each year, contestants are chosen through a series of regional pageants held throughout metropolitan and overseas France in the summer and autumn before the national competition. Over time, the regions represented at Miss France have varied slightly. The following 31 regional pageants currently send contestants to Miss France:

The regional competitions are organized by regional committees, and contestants must reside in the region they choose to represent. Regional committees have their own discretion as to how they wish to field candidates for the regional competitions. Some choose to organize a number of local competitions corresponding to cities or departments within the region, while others use open casting processes. Public voting is used to select winners of both regional pageants and the national competition.[15][16][17][18][19] The winner of the national competition subsequently receives a number of prizes, including a rent-free apartment in Paris, sponsorship deals, and a monthly salary.[20][21][22]

Rules and eligibility

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In order to compete in Miss France, contestants must meet the following eligibility requirements:[23]

Contestants must:

  • Be legally female and of French nationality through birth or naturalization.
  • Be above age 18 on 1 November of the year of the competition.
  • Be at least 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) tall.
  • Have a clean criminal record.

Contestants must not:

  • Have had her image exploited in a manner that could be incompatible or pose an obstacle to the organizers' rights.
  • Have received cosmetic surgery or use appearance-altering products such as wigs or colored contact lenses.
  • Have ever posed partially or completely nude, including after the competition as well.
  • Have associated with political or religious propaganda while a regional titleholder.

The pageant's code of ethics also requires that contestants not engage in smoking or public alcohol consumption. Failure to comply with pageant rules carries a fine of 5,000 Euro.[24]

Prior to Miss France 2023, contestants also could not have been married, divorced, or widowed; have children or have been pregnant; be above the age of 24 on 1 November of the year of the competition; or have visible tattoos or non-ear piercings.[15][23]

Recent titleholders

[edit]
For full list and details, see List of Miss France titleholders.
Year Miss France Region Age[a] Hometown Notes
2024 Ève Gilles  Nord-Pas-de-Calais 20 Quaëdypre
2023 Indira Ampiot  Guadeloupe 18 Basse-Terre Top 30 at Miss Universe 2024
2022 Diane Leyre  Île-de-France 24 Paris
2021 Amandine Petit  Normandy 23 Bourguébus Top 21 at Miss Universe 2020
2020 Clémence Botino  Guadeloupe 22 Le Gosier Top 10 at Miss Universe 2021 and Top 40 at Miss World 2023
[edit]

Winners by region

[edit]
Number Region Years
16 Île-de-France Île-de-France
  • 1933
  • 1934
  • 1935
  • 1939
  • 1948
  • 1949
  • 1950
  • 1955
  • 1963
  • 1970
  • 1972[b]
  • 1978[c]
  • 1983[d]
  • 1986
  • 1997
  • 2022
7 Normandy Normandy
  • 1958
  • 1967
  • 1981
  • 1984
  • 2005
  • 2010
  • 2021
Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes
  • 1930
  • 1957
  • 1965
  • 1968
  • 1988
  • 1996
  • 2002
Aquitaine Aquitaine
  • 1920
  • 1931
  • 1952
  • 1983[d]
  • 1989
  • 1990
  • 1995
6 Alsace Alsace
  • 1940
  • 1969
  • 1985
  • 1987
  • 2004
  • 2012
Brittany Brittany
  • 1928
  • 1937
  • 1960
  • 1961
  • 1962
  • 2011
Nice Côte d'Azur
  • 1932
  • 1947
  • 1951
  • 1954
  • 1966
  • 1982
5 French Polynesia Tahiti
  • 1974
  • 1980[e]
  • 1991
  • 1999
  • 2019
4 Nord-Pas-de-Calais Nord-Pas-de-Calais
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2018
  • 2024
Guadeloupe Guadeloupe
  • 1993
  • 2003
  • 2020
  • 2023
Picardy Picardy
  • 1936
  • 1953
  • 2001
  • 2007
3
Burgundy Burgundy
  • 1964[f]
  • 2000
  • 2013
Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc
  • 1929
  • 1971
  • 2006
Lorraine Lorraine
  • 1973
  • 1975
  • 1998
Pays de la Loire Pays de la Loire
  • 1964[f]
  • 1992
  • 1994
Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes
  • 1959
  • 1972[b]
  • 1977
2 Réunion Réunion
  • 1976
  • 2008
Franche-Comté Franche-Comté
1 French Guiana French Guiana
  • 2017
Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire
  • 2014
Midi-Pyrénées Midi-Pyrénées
  • 2009
Provence Provence
  • 1979
New Caledonia New Caledonia
 Morocco[g]
  • 1956
Roussillon Roussillon
  • 1938
 Saar[h]
  • 1935
Corsica Corsica
  • 1921

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Ages at the time of Miss France
  2. ^ a b In 1972, winner Chantal Bouvier de la Motte of Île-de-France resigned the title after suffering serious injuries after falling off of a horse. She was replaced by her first runner-up, Claudine Cassereau of Poitou-Charentes, as Miss France 1972.
  3. ^ a b In 1978, winner Pascale Taurua of New Caledonia resigned the title shortly after winning due to her wishing to remain in New Caledonia and not move to Paris. She was replaced by her first runner-up, Brigitte Konjovic of Île-de-France, as Miss France 1978.
  4. ^ a b In 1983, winner Isabelle Turpault of Île-de-France was dethroned after images taken of her in an erotic photoshoot were released, against pageant rules. She was replaced by her first runner-up, Frédérique Marcelle Leroy of Aquitaine, as Miss France 1983.
  5. ^ a b In 1980, winner Thilda Fuller of Tahiti resigned the title three days after winning due to personal reasons. She was replaced by her first runner-up, Patricia Barzyk of Franche-Comté, as Miss France 1980.
  6. ^ a b In 1964, winner Arlette Collot of Burgundy was dethroned after refusing to travel throughout France as part of her official duties. She was replaced by her first runner-up, Jacqueline Gayraud of Pays de la Loire, as Miss France 1964.
  7. ^ Until 1956, Morocco was under control of France as the French Protectorate in Morocco.
  8. ^ Until 1935, Saarbrücken was part of the Territory of the Saar Basin, a region of Germany that was administered by the United Kingdom and France under the control of the League of Nations.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ La société Miss France Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  2. ^ a b "Historique". Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  3. ^ "Biographie de Geneviève De Fontenay". tf1.fr (in French)..
  4. ^ Leconte, Sandrine (2 August 2023). "Geneviève de Fontenay, former president of the Miss France Committee, has died". Le Monde. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Geneviève de Fontenay organisera ses propres concours de miss". Le Parisien. 31 March 2010.
  6. ^ Brachet, Laurie (13 October 2021). "Sylvie Tellier évincée de Miss France ? Alexia Laroche-Joubert est officiellement nommée présidente de la société". Voici.fr.
  7. ^ "Miss France : Sylvie Tellier remplacée par Cindy Fabre à la tête du concours". Le Parisien (in French). 30 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Sylvie Tellier : découvrez qui est son remplaçant à la direction générale de Miss France". voici.fr (in French). 20 March 2023.
  9. ^ Lecoeuvre, Sarah (17 November 2023). "Alexia Laroche-Joubert quitte (déjà) la présidence de la société Miss France". Le Figaro (in French).
  10. ^ "Miss France sued for 'no mothers', 'no married women' rule for contestants". Women's Agenda. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Moms and short people need not apply: Miss France pageant sued over eligibility rules". CBC radio. 20 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Is Miss France discriminatory? Paris court dismisses feminist group's claims". France 24. 6 January 2023.
  13. ^ "The first Miss France Museum is set to open next year on the French Riviera". Euronews. 9 April 2024.
  14. ^ Chazan, David (9 April 2024). "Musée of Miss France: controversial contest celebrated in museum". The Times.
  15. ^ a b Miss France registration form[permanent dead link‍] (in French)
  16. ^ MISS FRANCE SAS sur SOCIETE.COM (in French)
  17. ^ WIPO Domain Name Decision (in French)
  18. ^ L'entreprise "Miss France" Archived 11 December 2012 at archive.today (in French)
  19. ^ Miss France 2010 : Malika Ménard élue avec 34% des votes du public Archived 18 July 2012 at archive.today (in French)
  20. ^ Boquet-Vautor, Lorelei (17 December 2017). "Miss France 2018 : La grande gagnante est Maeva Coucke alias Miss Nord Pas de Calais" (in French). TF1.
  21. ^ "À CHÂTEAUROUX, MAËVA COUCKE, MISS NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS DEVIENT MISS FRANCE 2018 !" (in French). Wit. 16 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 June 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  22. ^ "Maëva Coucke, Miss Nord Pas-de-Calais, wins Miss France 2018". Lucire. 17 December 2017.
  23. ^ a b "Miss France selon Alexia Laroche-Joubert, les règles changent". Paris Match (in French). 21 June 2022.
  24. ^ Leah Dolan (20 October 2021). "Miss France pageant faces lawsuit for requiring all contestants to be at least 5-foot-5, unmarried and child-free". CNN. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
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