An election that has become an unmissable event. This Saturday, December 16, millions of viewers will have their eyes glued to their small screen to follow the 94th Miss France ceremony, organized at the Zénith in Dijon and broadcast live on TF1. At the end of a spectacular evening, one of the thirty regional Misses will win the sumptuous crown and will succeed Indira Ampiot, Miss France 2023. By putting on the scarf, the big winner will perpetuate the history of the beauty contest, launched in 1920 by the writer and journalist Maurice de Waleffe. “1,700 young women showed up for the first edition. Forty-nine are selected by the jury. But in the 1920s, there was no television. Their portraits are shown in the cinema during the intermission of the films. Spectators must then vote with a ballot.”explained Constance Vilanova in her column broadcast this Monday, December 11 on the radio Mov. While representing the Aquitaine region, Agnès Souret was the first to be elected “the most beautiful woman in France”.
It was only eight years later that the national beauty contest took the name Miss France. As for the famous Committee, the latter was founded by Guy Lévy in 1954. An association chaired by Geneviève de Fontenay for three decades. In 1986, the ceremony was broadcast for the first time on television on the FR3 channel.. Guy Lux had the difficult task of presenting the evening and announcing the name of the lucky winner. A crowning achievement which remains engraved in the history of the competition due to the incredible mix-up that occurred live when the name of the big winner was announced. A moment which greatly irritated Guy Lux. “Are you sure of the result?”, he asked several times. Before apologizing after the final result: “It goes to show that everything is never perfect the first time.” Julien Lepers, Yves Lecoq and Sacha Distel replaced him in the following years before TF1 and Jean-Pierre Foucault took charge of the evening from 1995.
>> PHOTOS – Miss France 2024: discover the 30 Regional Misses
Miss France 2024: what are the criteria to be elected?
Over the years, the selection criteria for the Miss France competition have continued to evolve. If the contenders for the title must measure at “minimum 1m70 without heels”, a major change to shake up the registration form. Today, there is no longer an age limit to be a candidate. A choice that Alexia Laroche-Joubert returned to in the columns of GalaJune 23, 2022. “You can be beautiful at any age, although I know that some local committees have kept this limit at less than 24 years old. And that’s their right.”, she estimated. Another major development, transgender applications are now accepted, “from the moment the candidate has female marital status.”, specified the former president of the Miss France company. On the other hand, there is no selection on weight.
Other point, young women must not have had cosmetic surgery. Only reconstructive surgery is accepted. Moreover, participants can be tattooed, even if the piece in question measures more than 3 centimeters. In terms of private life, candidates can be married or in a civil partnership and are allowed to have children. However, a rule from the time of Sylvie Tellier and Geneviève de Fontenay remains unchanged. “The candidates who present themselves must not have made pornographic films or photographs or have made criminally reprehensible remarks”assured Alexia Laroche-Joubert to TV Magazine. If one of these criteria is not met,a Miss will win disqualification in default of the crown.
Photo credits: PIERRE VILLARD/SIPA