Tattoos, marriage and age limit: the Miss France contest, the 93rd edition of which is held on Saturday evening near Châteauroux, has decided this year to smash several taboos to modernize a popular but often criticized beauty contest.
Thirty regional misses will try to succeed Diane Leyre, winner of the 2022 edition. Aged 18 to 26, the candidates come from a variety of backgrounds: medical, tourism or business students, physiotherapists, makeup artists, nurses…
Until then, only women between 18 and 24 years old, having no children and measuring at least 1.70 m might claim the title of Miss France.
If the minimum size remains, the competition decided this year to broaden its selection criteria: it is now open to all women over 18, without age limit, including married, with or without children. A rule that even applies to transgender women, “from the moment the candidate has a female civil status”, specifies Alexia Laroche-Joubert, new president of the Miss France society.
“Reflection of today’s society”
In June, a transgender candidate, actress Andréa Furet (20), ran for Miss Paris, where she came second runner-up. Another innovation, visible tattoos are now allowed.
“The terms of the competition which have changed are only a reflection of current society”, explains to AFP Cindy Fabre, Miss France 2005 and new director of the competition. “Rare are the girls who are not tattooed. We had to adapt to that”.
No mother
In addition, “you can also be a mother and compete. It’s all a question of organization”, believes Cindy Fabre. “Dads also have a more invested role than before. We take all this into account”.
An idea contested by Geneviève de Fontenay, 90, “Miss of Misses”, for whom motherhood is incompatible with the schedule of a beauty queen.
The relaxation of the criteria has obviously not yet revolutionized the manners of the competition. If two of the 30 candidates competing on Saturday are tattooed (Miss Languedoc and Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais), none is a mother and the three oldest are only 26 years old (Miss Lorraine, Miss New Caledonia and Miss Picardy).
Feminist association not convinced
The association “Osez le féminisme” is not more convinced by these developments, “a stroke of white paint on a moldy wall” according to its spokesperson Fabienne El Khoury.
The association has initiated proceedings before the industrial tribunal of Bobigny once morest the “discriminatory criteria” of the Miss France contest. The decision is expected on January 6.
In terms of form, the evening, presented live on TF1 by Jean-Pierre Foucault and Sylvie Tellier, should remain one of the most classic, with scenes inspired by great box office successes, such as “Titanic”, James Bond or Amélie Poulain. The 15 finalists will be announced during an Oscar-style sequence.
Francis Huster in the jury
The jury, chaired by Francis Huster, will notably bring together judo champion Clarisse Agbegnenou, producer Dominique Besnehard and singer Kendji Girac. Prevented, the singer and humorist Camille Lellouche will be replaced by the actress Bérangère Krief.
The finalists will be decided 50/50 by the viewers and the jury at the end of the evening. Over seven million viewers watched the contest live last year.
afp/hkr
