Following the revelations made by the Parisian, the Miss France company finds itself at the heart of a controversy. Far from the glamorous side that we want to give to this beauty contest, the candidates who dream of being crowned would be faced with a lack of food, great psychological pressure and would benefit from too low a salary…
Every year, in December, the French elect their new Miss France during an evening full of glitter, parades, dances and speeches. During the last ceremony, it was Diane Leyre, Miss Île-de-France, who was elected. To be ready on D-Day, the candidates who dream of being crowned are preparing hard. Besides the two days of rehearsal before the live, the participants meet beforehand during one month for the preparatory trip. Stay in Reunion, gifts, media coverage… If, in appearance, the Misses seem to be living a dream, The Parisian depicts a much less appealing adventure. Starting with the conditions under which the candidates repeat and the salary that the Miss France company grants them for this time spent preparing.
The competition has however evolved, in 2021, by making sign an employment contract to the Misses for the first time. “For me, as soon as there is a concept of work and a relationship of subordination, it has to be remunerated », had declared Alexia Laroche-Joubert, president of the company Miss France, at the Parisian, in December 2021. The establishment of an employment contract had occurred followingan attack on the Prud’hommes by the association Osez le féminisme, who sees the competition as an event “sexist” and “discriminatory”. If the signing of a contract seems a good thing, the latter only concerns the two days of rehearsal before the live and the day of the ceremony. For the month of preparation before, the Misses do not receive anything.
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Former candidates fight for change
If for some candidates this poses no problem – in particular becausethey receive gifts or thatthey see adventure as “an incredible human experience”–, others denounce this practice. This is the case of Gwenegann Saillard, Miss Champagne-Ardenne 2020. Already been there, the former participant now wants things to change and that future candidates are better off. “The contract should cover the whole month we make ourselves available, where we put our studies, our jobs, our lives aside », she assures our colleagues of the Parisian. She further explains that “receiving gifts does not replace a salary” and that they become in spite of themselves “volunteer muses” since they are asked to promote the products offered to them on social networks. “It’s exploitation”, she lets go.
photo shoots, psychological pressure, lack of sleep, training for hours, dinners, interviews for different media… For a month, the participants would spend almost 250 hours to prepare for the competition, according to the daily. However, they are not only paid for three days. How many did they touch? “254 euros net, in all”, indicates a candidate. Information confirmed by production. The president of the Miss France society is delighted toa “great progress” and does not intend to extend the employment contract any longer. ” That does not match our values and the motivations of the candidates would no longer be the same. »
Candidates also deplore lack of food during their preparation. Still according to the Parisian daily, some of them would have lost up to six kilos. “Sometimes we had extra meals delivered”, says one participant. Before talking about his adventure as a “Koh Lanta bis”. After these revelations, the image of a glamorous beauty pageant seems to be slipping away.
Article written in collaboration with 6 Medias
Photo credits: Laurent Vu / SIPA / TF1