DIJON, France – The winner of Miss France 2024 has framed her victory as a win for “diversity”, drawing praise for her short hair as well as predictable criticism from viewers of the beauty pageant, which has faced accusations of sexism.

“No one should dictate who you are,” said 20-year-old Eve Gilles, who was the only contestant with cropped short hair in this year’s competition.

“We’re used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair,” she said after her victory on the night of Dec 16, adding that “every woman is different, we’re all unique”.

Ms Gilles, who is from a village near Dunkirk in northern France, was elected in the city of Dijon in front of 5,000 pageant fans.

Half the score was determined by viewers, and the other half by a jury of seven women.

On social media, many viewers reacted with delight, batting down criticism that portrayed her selection as politicised.

“Maybe the new #MissFrance isn’t gorgeous in your eyes, but seeing wokeism in her because she has short hair... It’s just ridiculous,” said a fan of the new Miss France on X.

Another X user said: “Eve Gilles is the new Miss France 2024, your malicious and useless criticisms won’t change that, she’s sublime.”

‘Just as sexist’

Ms Gilles’ victory comes less than a week after a court ordered a French broadcaster and television production house to compensate two previous Miss France finalists for secretly filming them and showing their bare breasts on air.

Both women, the court found, had been filmed in changing rooms “without being informed”.

Ms Alexia Laroche-Joubert, chief executive of Banijay France, which owns the Miss France brand, defended the pageant as a symbol of success and a social elevator for contestants who have later become businesswomen, doctors or film directors.

The contest’s criteria have been modernised, she said, in that there is no longer an age limit for participants, who can now be married or transgender.

To critics, however, the pageant’s evolution has been insufficient.

Ms Melinda Bizri of the Human Rights League in Dijon, which called for a boycott of the ceremony, said the cosmetic changes were feminist-washing.

“Women have been abusing themselves all their lives to achieve these phantasmagorical criteria, according to patterns that take a very long time to deconstruct,” she said.

Dare Feminism! association’s spokeswoman Violaine de Filippis added: “Miss France is still just as sexist in the way it classifies women according to beauty criteria.” AFP