Miss France is the trademark of an annual beauty pageant. Rights to the trademark were obtained in 2002 by the Dutch television production company Endemol[1] through its subsidiary Miss France SAS,[2] whose director general is Sylvie Tellier, Miss France 2002.[3] Endemol also holds the rights in France to send contestants to the Miss World and the Miss Universe pageants. Local and regional pageants that provide entrants for the Miss France contest are organized by the Comité Miss France, whose president is Geneviève de Fontenay.[3]
The pageant is held each year in December, and the winner is designated by the year that begins in the ensuing January.[4] Miss France 2010, Malika Ménard, was chosen December 5, 2009. Her prizes included a new car, use of a Paris apartment for one year, and a monthly net salary of 4,000 euros.[5] The Miss France 2011 contest to determine the next Miss France was filmed in the Maldives from the 11th to the 18th of November 2010.[6]
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The pageant is contested by regional winners of local contests from Metropolitan France and its overseas territories. The method of choosing the winner has varied over the years, ordinarily with a jury of celebrities choosing a set of finalists. The winner in recent years was chosen by a weighting of the jury's opinion and votes of television viewers of the pageant (who pay a fee for each vote). For the Miss France 2010 contest, the winner was chosen entirely by the votes of viewers for the first time.[7]
To become Miss France, it is necessary:[4]
One should not:
The first organizer of the Miss France contest was Maurice de Waleffe, a journalist. In 1920 he organized a beauty contest whose winner was to be chosen by filmgoers. The contest was called "La plus belle femme de France" -- "France's most beautiful woman".[8]
The first contest had 1,700 entrants, from which a jury chose 49 finalists. Each week for seven weeks, filmgoers received a ballot with seven different names. The winner was Agnès Souret.[9] The contest was repeated in 1921, with the winner Pauline Pô, after which it was discontinued.
In 1926, the contest winner was called "Miss France" for the first time. The contest was discontinued after the 1940 contest because of World War II, and de Waleffe died in 1946.[9]
Starting in 1947, several different groups organized national beauty contests, some of which carried the name Miss France. One of them, founded by Jean Raibaut, was formally organized under the name "Club Charly's" in 1950.[9] The contest organized by Endemol traces its roots to a contest run by an informal group led by Guy Rinaldo and Louis de Fontenay that called itself "Comité Miss France" and crowned its first winner in 1947. After the commencement of the Miss World contest in 1951 and the Miss Universe contest in 1952, the "Comité Miss France" formally organized in 1954, with Rinaldo as president, under the name "Comité Miss France - Miss Europe - Miss Universe."[1]
In these early days, however, the organizers of the global contests did not necessarily have entrants who had won what might be considered the corresponding national contest. The entrant for Miss Universe 1953 from France, for instance, was Christiane Martel, who had won the Miss Cinémonde contest, also organized by Rinaldo, and not Sylviane Carpentier, who had won the Miss France contest.[10] Similarly, the entrant for Miss World 1953 was Denise Perrier. As a result, even though France won both the Miss World and Miss Universe contests in 1953, two different women were the winners, and neither was the winner of the Miss France contest.
The administrative secretary of the "Comité Miss France - Miss Europe - Miss Universe" was Geneviève Mulmann, who along with Louis de Fontenay ousted Rinaldo on September 14, 1956. Louis and Geneviève subsequently both took the name de Fontenay, presented themselves as a married couple and had two children together, though they never married. Rinaldo formed a rival association called the "Comité Miss France de Paris". And "Club Charly's" continued to name its own Miss France. Several lawsuits and countersuits ensued.[1]
The war claimed its first injury in April 1983. The de Fontenay committee had deposed Isabelle Turpault for posing for nude photographs. After Turpault made some disparaging remarks about Geneviève de Fontenay, Turpault alleged that one of the de Fontenay children, Xavier, punched her on the Champs-Élysées.[11]
In 1986, Geneviève de Fontenay registered the trademark "Miss France" with the Institut National de la Propriété Intellectuelle (INPI), and defended it from a challenge by the Rinaldo committee. She renewed the trademark in 1996.[1]
In 1999, Eric Morley, founder and organizer of the Miss World contest, revoked the license of the de Fontenay committee and awarded it to the Rinaldo committee, headed by Antoine de Villejoie after Rinaldo's death in 1991.[12] The license was subsequently awarded to Endemol, and starting in 2005 the winner of the Endemol contest or her designated replacement has participated in Miss World.
The title has been declared vacant on several occasions, with the runner-up generally fulfilling the term of the winner.
| Year | Winner | Replacement | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Elisabeth Pitz | Giselle Preville | Pitz returned her crown after 2 hours and was replaced by Preville.[13] |
| 1954 | Irène Tunc | Danielle Génault | No reason given,[13] though Tunc was already starting to appear in movies.[14] |
| 1956 | Maryse Fabre | Gisèle Charbit | Fabre's election rescinded after public protests. Charbit was elected the following evening.[13] |
| 1961 | Luce Auger | Michèle Wargnier | Auger deposed for being a mother, even though she had informed the organizers.[15] |
| 1966 | Michèle Boulé | Monique Boucher | No reason given,[13] although Boulé competed in both the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants. |
| 1972 | Chantal Bouvier de la Motte | Claudine Cassereau | Resigned because of injuries from a fall from a horse.[13] |
| 1978 | Pascale Taurua | Brigitte Konjovic | Taurua resigned to return to New Caledonia rather than stay in France for a year. The first runner-up, Kelly Hoarau from Reunion Island, declined also, but competed in the Miss World contest. Konjovic, second runner-up, took the position and competed in Miss Universe.[13] |
| 1983 | Isabelle Turpault | Frederique Marcelle Leroy | Deposed for posing nude in a magazine.[13] |
| 1988 | Sylvie Bertin | Claudia Frittolini | Deposed for refusing to participate in Miss Universe contest.[13] |
| 2004 | Laetitia Bléger | Lucie Degletagne | Deposed for six months for posing nude in Playboy. Restored after apologizing. Successfully sued her agent for manipulating her.[13] |
| 2008 | Valérie Bègue | Laura Tanguy | Repudiated by Geneviève de Fontenay for "scandalous" photos in a magazine,[16] but retained her title with the support of Endemol. She agreed not to compete in the global contests. The first runner-up, Miss New Caledonia, Vahinerii Requillart, decided to not compete in Miss Universe because she wanted to continue studying.[17] Tanguy, the second runner-up, competed in the Miss World and Miss Universe contests.[13] |
In the early years of the Miss World and Miss Universe contests, it was rare for the winner of the Miss France contest to compete in both (see table below). From 1961 to 1993, however, the winner of Miss France, or her runner-up, generally competed in Miss World.
The first winner of the Miss France contest to compete in both the Miss World and Miss Universe contests was Michèle Boulé in 1966. However, she was stripped of her Miss France title by the de Fontenay committee for unspecified reasons.[13]
In 1971, the Miss France winner, Myriam Stocco, competed in both the Miss World and Miss Universe contests. From then until 1993, 17 of the 23 Miss France winners competed in both global contests.
Starting in 1994, the de Fontenay committee stopped sending the winner or runner-up to Miss World, a situation that led to the shift of the license to the Rinaldo committee in 1999.[12] Since 2005, however, the entrant in both global contests has been the winner of the Miss France contest organized by Endemol or her designated replacement.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1920 | Agnès Souret |
| 1921 | Pauline Pô |
| Year | Miss France |
|---|---|
| 1926 | Roberte Cusey |
| 1927 | Raymonde Allain |
| 1928 | Germaine Laborde |
| 1929 | Madeleine Mourgues |
| 1930 | Yvette Labrousse |
| 1931 | Jeanne Juillia |
| 1932 | Lucienne Nahmias |
| 1933 | Emilienne Quesson de Souza |
| 1934 | Simone Barillier |
| 1935 | Elisabeth Pitz |
| 1936 | Lynne Lassal |
| 1937 | Jacqueline Janet |
| 1938 | Annie Carrigues |
| 1939 | Ginette Catriens |
| 1940 | Joséphine Ladwig |
Boldface indicates winner of the Miss World or Miss Universe pageant ( the only winners from France were in the two contests held in 1953.)
| Year | Miss France | Miss World France | Miss Universe France |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Yvonne Viseux | ||
| 1948 | Jacqueline Donny | ||
| 1949 | Juliette Figueras | ||
| 1950 | Maryse Delort | ||
| 1951 | Nicole Drouin | Jacqueline Lemoine | |
| 1952 | Josiane Pouy | Nicole Drouin[18] | Claude Godart |
| 1953 | Sylviane Carpentier | Denise Perrier (Miss World) | Christiane Martel (Miss Universe) |
| 1954 | Irène Tunc | Claudine Bleuse (3rd runner up) | Jacqueline Beer (Top 16) |
| 1955 | Véronique Zuber | Gisele Thierry | Claudie Petit |
| 1956 | Maryse Fabre | Genevieve Solare | Anita Treyens (Top 15) |
| 1957 | Sylvie-Rosine Numez | Claudette Inés Navarro[19] | Lisa Simon |
| 1958 | Monique Negler | Claudine Auger (1rst runner up) | Monique Boulinguez |
| 1959 | Monique Chiron | Marie Hélène Trové | Françoise St-Laurent (Top 15) |
| 1960 | Brigitte Barazer de Lannurien | Diane Medina (Top 15) | Florence Eyrie |
| 1961 | Luce Auger | Michèle Wargnier (3rd runner up) | Simone Darot (Top 15) |
| 1962 | Monique Lemaire | Monique Lemaire (2nd runner up) | Sabine Surget |
| 1963 | Muguette Fabris | Muguette Fabris (Top 7) | Monique Lemaire (Top 15) |
| 1964 | Jacqueline Gayraud | Jacqueline Gayraud (Top 16) | Edith Noël (Top 10) |
| 1965 | Christiane Sibellin | Christiane Sibellin (Top 16) | Marie-Thérèse Tullio |
| 1966 | Michèle Boulé | Michèle Boulé (Top 15) | Michèle Boulé |
| 1967 | Jeanne Beck | Carole Noe (Top 15) | Anne Vernier |
| 1968 | Christiane Lillio | Nelly Gallerne (Top 15) | Elizabeth Cadren |
| 1969 | Suzanne Angly | Suzanne Angly (Top 15) | Agathe Cognet |
| 1970 | Micheline Baurain | Micheline Baurain | Françoise Durand-Behot |
| 1971 | Myriam Stocco | Myriam Stocco (Top 7) | Myriam Stocco (Top 12) |
| 1972 | Chantal Bouvier de la Motte | Claudine Cassereau | Claudine Cassereau |
| 1973 | Isabelle Nadia Krumacker | Isabelle Nadia Krumacker | Isabelle Nadia Krumacker |
| 1974 | Edna Tepava | Edna Tepava | Brigitte Marie Flayac |
| 1975 | Sophie Sonia Perin | Sophie Sonia Perin | Sophie Sonia Perin |
| 1976 | Monique Uldaric | Monique Uldaric | Monique Uldaric |
| 1977 | Véronique Fagot | Véronique Fagot (Top 15) | Véronique Fagot |
| 1978 | Pascale Taurua | Kelly Hoarau | Brigitte Konjovic |
| 1979 | Sylvie Hélène Marie Parera | Sylvie Hélène Marie Parera | Sylvie Hélène Marie Parera |
| 1980 | Patricia Barzyk | Patricia Barzyk (2nd runner up) | Brigitte Choquet |
| 1981 | Isabelle Sophie Benárd | Isabelle Sophie Benárd | Isabelle Sophie Benárd |
| 1982 | Sabrina Belleval | Martine Marie Philipps | Martine Marie Philipps |
| 1983 | Isabelle Turpault | Frederique Marcelle Leroy | Frederique Marcelle Leroy |
| 1984 | Martine Robine | Martine Robine | Martine Robine |
| 1985 | Suzanne Iskandar | Nathalie Jones | Suzanne Iskandar |
| 1986 | Valérie Pascale | Catherine Carew | Catherine Carew |
| 1987 | Nathalie Marquay | Nathalie Marquay | Nathalie Marquay |
| 1988 | Sylvie Bertin | Claudia Frittolini | Claudia Frittolini |
| 1989 | Stephanie (Peggy) Zlotkowski | Stephanie (Peggy) Zlotkowski | Pascale Meotti |
| 1990 | Gaëlle Voiry | Gaëlle Voiry | Gaëlle Voiry |
| 1991 | Maréva Georges | Maréva Georges (Top 10) | Maréva Georges (Top 10) |
| 1992 | Linda Hardy | Linda Hardy | Linda Hardy |
| 1993 | Véronique de la Cruz | Véronique de la Cruz (Top 10) | Véronique de la Cruz |
| 1994 | Valérie Claisse | Radiah Latidine | Valérie Claisse |
| 1995 | Mélody Vilbert | Hélène Lantoine | Corinne Lauret |
| 1996 | Laure Belleville | Séverine Deroualle | Laure Belleville |
| 1997 | Patricia Spehar | Laure Belleville[18] | Patricia Spehar |
| 1998 | Sophie Thalmann | Véronique Caloc (1rst runner up) | Sophie Thalmann |
| 1999 | Maréva Galanter | Sandra Bretones | Maréva Galanter |
| 2000 | Sonia Rolland | Karine Meier | Sonia Rolland (Top 10) |
| 2001 | Élodie Gossuin | Emmanuelle Chossat | Élodie Gossuin (Top 10) |
| 2002 | Sylvie Tellier | Caroline Chamorand | Sylvie Tellier |
| 2003 | Corinne Coman | Virginie Dubois | Emmanuelle Chossat |
| 2004 | Lætitia Bléger | Lætitia Marciniak | Lætitia Bléger |
| 2005 | Cindy Fabre | Cindy Fabre | Cindy Fabre |
| 2006 | Alexandra Rosenfeld | Laura Fasquel[20] | Alexandra Rosenfeld |
| 2007 | Rachel Legrain-Trapani | Rachel Legrain-Trapani | Rachel Legrain-Trapani |
| 2008 | Valérie Bègue | Laura Tanguy | Laura Tanguy |
| 2009 | Chloé Mortaud | Chloé Mortaud (3rd runner up) | Chloé Mortaud (Top 10) |
| 2010 | Malika Ménard | Virginie Dechenaud (Top 25) | Malika Ménard (Top 15) |
| 2011 | Laury Thilleman | Clémence Oleksy | Laury Thilleman (Top 10) |
| 2012 | Delphine Wespiser |
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