Following Eve Gilles’ triumph in the Miss France pageant, the pageant has come under fire for embracing a more “woke,” inclusive philosophy.
The 20-year-old competitor from Nord-Pas-de-Calais, who attracted 5,000 spectators and 7.5 million TV viewers, broke with the conventional long-hair look by winning with a pixie cut at the Dijon final.
Gilles emphasized that each woman is unique and gave an explanation of why she decided to embrace her androgynous appearance in order to promote diversity. Throughout the competition, she had been vocal about the need to modernize and diversify beauty standards, challenging the pageant’s longstanding reputation as a sexist institution.
Gilles aspires to demonstrate that beauty is more than just a person’s body type and hairstyle by supporting more inclusive representations of women.
Eve Gilles’ “woke” controversy
Eve Gilles’ victory in the Miss France pageant has drawn criticism for the pageant’s adoption of a more “woke,” inclusive ideology.
At the Dijon final, the 20-year-old competitor from Nord-Pas-de-Calais, who drew 5,000 spectators and 7.5 million TV viewers, defied the norm and won with a pixie cut.
Gilles highlighted the individuality of every woman and shared her reasoning for embracing her androgynous appearance to support diversity. She had been outspoken throughout the competition, questioning the pageant’s long-standing reputation as a sexist organization and advocating for the need to modernize and diversify beauty standards.
By endorsing more inclusive representations of women, Gilles hopes to prove that beauty is more than just a person’s shape and hairdo.
Eve Gilles’ words after her victory
Gilles has attracted admirers and comparisons to the renowned Audrey Hepburn, whose short hair served as a symbol of modern beauty and elegance for many years. She has a shiny dark bob, a radiant smile, and expressive brown eyes.
The Nord-Pas-de-Calais math and computer science student from northern France responded to the public outcry on French television after winning, expressing her surprise.
Gilles emphasized the changing standards while acknowledging that her appearance departs from the conventional image associated with Miss France. She believes that being authentic is important and that the idea that one must fit into a predefined box to be a Miss is out of date.
She told Le Parisien that she had experienced body-shaming online, where she was called out for not fitting into a traditional feminine “shape” and thought to be excessively thin when pictures of the competitors in swimsuits were published.
Despite this, Gilles stated in an interview with France’s BFMTV that she has chosen to ignore offensive remarks and concentrate on her accomplishments and personality rather than just her looks. She stressed that her fans value her not just for her appearance or hairstyle but also for who she is and what she stands for.
Incidents occurring with the Miss France pageant
The communist party’s national secretary, Fabien Roussel, endorsed Ms. Gilles, the recently crowned Miss France. He made it clear that she is already dealing with the violence in society that results from women’s inability to define themselves in all of their diversity.
The announcement of Ms. Gilles’ triumph coincides with the French courts’ order to compensate two Miss France finalists for the unapproved release of pictures of their nude chests from the 2018 pageant. An audience of eight million people saw these photos without realizing there were backstage cameras.
The affected women will get compensation totaling €40,000 (£34,500). Unfortunately, according to the women’s attorneys, the pictures are still available online, even on pornographic websites.
In an effort to “modernize,” the Miss France pageant now accepts applications from mothers, wives, and transgender women in addition to contestants of any age.
Melinda Bizri of the Human Rights League in Dijon, among others, has criticized the changes, calling them nothing more than “feminist-washing.” She emphasized how difficult it is for women to live up to unrealistic expectations and how long it takes to break these patterns.
