Miss France 2024 Pageant Slammed For Crowning ‘Woke’ Contestant With Short Hair

The Miss France 2024 beauty pageant broke a 103-year tradition by crowning Eve Gilles, the first short-haired winner, declaring her victory a triumph for "diversity."

Despite the beautiful Gilles celebrating uniqueness, the pageant has faced criticism for allegedly adopting "woke" values. Supporters defended her, noting French short-haired icons, while detractors claimed she doesn't align with traditional standards.

Gilles, advocating for diversified beauty standards, shared that she "wants to break the codes, to show that women can be diverse, that we don't need to be put in boxes."

The recently concluded Miss France 2024 pageant stirred controversy after a winner with short hair was selected, breaking a 103-year tradition of long-haired beauty queens.

At the end of the pageant, Eve Gilles from Nord-Pas-de-Calais became the first pixie cut-wearing winner in the pageant's history. Declaring her victory a win for "diversity," the 20-year-old emphasized her androgynous look, challenging beauty standards.

In front of 7.5 million viewers, per the Daily Mail, she defiantly stated, "We're used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair. No one should dictate who you are."

She celebrated uniqueness and urged acceptance of diverse expressions of womanhood, adding that every "woman is different, we're all unique."

However, after Gilles was crowned, the Miss France 2024 pageant faced an unusual backlash and was labeled as being "woke." The contest, known for traditionally favoring contestants with long, flowing hair and curves, was criticized for selecting "androgynous" Gilles with her pixie cut.

Per the Daily Mail, the decision, influenced by both public vote and jury, sparked criticism, with some critics claiming the pageant has shifted from a beauty contest to a "woke competition based on  inclusiveness."

Negative comments on X (formerly known as Twitter) accused Gilles, who wants to be a statistician and is studying Maths and Computer Science at Lille University, of "instilling wokist values into society."

Others questioned her alignment with traditional Miss France standards, noting that she "doesn't look anything like Miss France." Another added: "We don't care about her haircut, but the androgynous body is obviously there to serve as woke."

Despite the criticism, many celebrated the selection of Gilles as Miss France 2024, highlighting her connection to a French tradition of short-haired fashion icons like Mistinguett and Coco Chanel.

Supportive voices on social media defended Gilles against accusations of promoting "wokeism," with one fan writing: "Maybe the new #MissFrance isn't gorgeous in your eyes, but seeing wokeism in her because she has short hair.... It's just ridiculous."

Another user denounced transphobic remarks related to her appearance, stating: "Eve Gilles isn't even trans, has never claimed to be trans, but half of the comments about her are transphobic because she has short hair."

Politicians, including MP Sandrine Rousseau and MP Karima Delli, also expressed support for Gilles and defended her. MP Rousseau questioned: "So, in France, in 2023, we measure the progress of respect for women by the length of their hair?"

MP 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!" she added.

Ahead of the Miss France 2024 pageant, Gilles, hailing from Réunion, an overseas region of France in the Indian Ocean, actively campaigned for "diversified" beauty standards.

The pageant, often criticized for its perceived sexism, became a platform for Gilles to advocate for the evolving representation of women in society.

During the final, Gillies, per The Telegraph, boldly stated: "I would like to show that the competition is evolving and society too, that the representation of women is diverse, in my opinion beauty is not limited to a haircut or shapes that we have... or not."

Earlier in November, Gilles, in an interview with a French news outlet BFM Grand Lille, expressed her desire to challenge traditional norms, stating, "I would especially like to defend the image of women, that they can do what they want, that they can be what whatever she likes."

"I want to break the codes," she added. "To show that women can be diverse, that we don't need to be put in boxes. That's what I want to show."