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Miss France beauty pageant received unprecedented backlash when it announced an ‘androgynous’ contestant Eve Gilles as the winner this year.
Gilles, 20, who is from Nord-Pas-de-Calais in northern part of the country, was crowned by previous winner Indira Ampiot live during the show on Sunday, via Daily Mail.
During the speech, Gilles acknowledged that she chose to keep short hair for the show in a bid to represent ‘androgynous’ people and not the traditional long hair.
“We’re used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair,” she proclaimed.
Praising her win as a win for ‘diversity,’ she said, “No one should dictate who you are,” adding that every “woman is different, we’re all unique.”
However, the viewers were not pleased with the show’s choices. Miss France 2024 winner was chosen half by a public vote and half by a jury.
One person on X, formerly Twitter, wrote, “Miss France is no longer a beauty contest but a woke contest which is based on inclusiveness.”
Others opined that Gilles “doesn’t look anything like Miss France” and that “we don’t care about her haircut but the androgynous body is obviously there to serve as woke.”
Meanwhile, other users were quick to defend the show and its winner.
“Maybe the new #MissFrance isn’t gorgeous in your eyes, but seeing wokeism in her because she has short hair…. It’s just ridiculous.”
Moreover, MP, Karima Delli, wrote, “Big support for Ève Gilles, #MissFrance2024, in the face of hateful tweets on social networks of incredible violence! Swallow your venom, she is not only superb, Miss Nord pas de Calais is intelligent in embracing her diversity!”
