A victory for diversity? For the first time in 100 years, the winner of Miss France has short hair

For the first time in the 100-year history of France’s top beauty pageant, Miss France has short hair.

20-year-old Eve Gilles, who won the competition over the weekend sporting a pixie cut, hailed the achievement as a “victory for diversity”.

“No one can tell you who you should be,” she told the audience.

Gilles promised to “defend the values of strong women”. After her victory on Saturday, she added, “we’re used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair (...) every woman is different, we’re all unique.”

Gilles, who is studying mathematics and statistics at university, represents the northern Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, the fourth contestant from the region to take home the crown in 10 years.

The aftermath to her victory was hostile. On social media, critics viciously attacked her thin frame, made videos comparing her to other competitors with “more beautiful” long hair and implied she only won to appease “woke” culture.

Paris-based financial researcher Philippe Herlin wrote on X: “Miss France 2024 doesn’t look like much, but she says the right things. Want to bet that next year Miss France will be trans?”

“People criticising me over my hair doesn’t bother me, because I can change my hair,” Gilles told the French daily Le Parisien in an interview after her victory. “I chose this hair, but I didn’t choose my body, or my metabolism. I don’t understand how someone can criticise a person over something they cannot change.”

Gilles has said that she wants to use her platform to encourage children – especially young girls – to pursue maths and science. She hopes her own passion for the subject can help to make it seem less intimidating.

“For me, there’s an issue with the way