20-year-old wins Miss France beauty pageant with short hair: Why her win sparked debate

The woman voted Miss France 2024 dons a different look than "Misses" of the past, and her win has ignited debate in pageant circles and beyond.

Eve Gilles, 20, was named the winner of the country's top beauty pageant on Saturday, leading some internet commenters to lash out at her appearance or the event itself for appealing to "woke culture."

"No one should dictate who you are," Gilles responded after the event, according to AFP. "We're used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair."

Gilles, thought to be the first Miss France winner with short hair, said she wanted to “defend the values of strong women" and wanted to encourage younger girls pursue math and science, the same subjects she currently studies.

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Why Gilles' Miss France win has sparked discussion

Gilles faced some criticism online, with some saying she only won to appease "woke culture."

Beyond just her haircut, Gilles faced sexist comments about her body. Some harshly criticized the pageant winner for being "too thin." In response, Gilles told Le Parisien that she's not bothered by the criticism over her hair because she can change it.

“I chose this hair, but I didn’t choose my body, or my metabolism. I don’t understand how someone can criticize a person over something they cannot change," she said.

But Gilles also had many supporters, including from Sandrine Rousseau, a member of Parliament.

"I'm shocked by the comments on #MissFrance2024," Rousseau wrote on X. "Our hair, and what we do with it, how we style it, is none of men's business."

Fabien Roussel, the national secretary of the French Communist Party criticized the attack on Gilles. In a post on X, he said he voiced support for Gilles, "who is already suffering the violence of a society which does not accept that women define themselves in all their diversity."

Gilles is the fourth woman from the northern Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, to be crowned Miss France in the past 10 years. Half of the votes to win the crown were made by viewers, the other half came from a jury of seven women, AFP reported.

An evolving pageant

Gilles' victory comes during the second year since the pageant's rules were changed to allow for greater diversity, Euronews reported.

The pageant no longer has an age limit, nor does it bar women who are married, have children, or visible tattoos. In 2019, the competition also allowed for trans contestants to participate.

However, Euronews reported that while the rules have changed, there's been very little to show for it on stage. Gilles short hair was noticeably different since the women who participated in this years competition shared similar characteristics. Still, Gilles said she wants to be remembered for more than just the Miss France who had short hair.

“I want to be a strong woman, I want to make people realize that no matter where you start, no matter what path you take, you can achieve your goals,” Gilles said, according to Euronews. “I want to show people that women are diverse, that we’re all beautiful, that we’re all different and unique. I’m not unique because of my hair, I’m unique because I’m Eve.”