Miss France
Encyclopedia
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
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...

 through its subsidiary Miss France SAS, whose director general is Sylvie Tellier, Miss France 2002. Endemol also holds the rights in France to send contestants to the Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...

 and the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....

 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
Geneviève de Fontenay
Geneviève Mulmann, known as de Fontenay was born on August 30, 1932 in Longwy in Meurthe-et-Moselle. She lives in Saint-Cloud. The name which she uses in public, de Fontenay, is a pseudonym. She is the former president of the Committees Miss France and Miss Europe...

.

The pageant is held each year in December, and the winner is designated by the year that begins in the ensuing January. 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. The Miss France 2011 contest to determine the next Miss France was filmed in the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...

 from the 11th to the 18th of November 2010.

Rules

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.

To become Miss France, it is necessary:
  • to be born female and of French nationality or naturalization,
  • to have an age of 18 to 24 years on November 15 of the year of the contest,
  • to be at least 1.7 meters tall,
  • to be never married and without children (until 2011)
  • to have a clean police record


One should not:
  • have had her image exploited in a manner that could be incompatible or pose an obstacle to the organizers' rights,
  • have taken part in a competing pageant,
  • have appearance prosthetics (wig, colored contact lenses, etc.),
  • have visible tattoos or piercings (except earrings).

Before World War II

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".

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. 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.

After World War II

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. 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."

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
Christiane Martel
Christiane Martel, born Christiane Magnani, won the 1953 Miss Universe pageant representing France. However, she was not a titleholder from the "official" Miss France pageant....

, who had won the Miss Cinémonde contest, also organized by Rinaldo, and not Sylviane Carpentier, who had won the Miss France contest. Similarly, the entrant for Miss World 1953 was Denise Perrier
Denise Perrier
Denise Perrier is a French model and actress. She now goes by "Denise Perrier Lanfranchi."Perrier was the third person to be chosen as Miss World in 1953, representing France; the same year that France also won the Miss Universe pageant by Christiane Martel.Perrier has done little acting...

. 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 Miss France War

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.

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
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...

.

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.

In 1999, Eric Morley
Eric Morley
Eric Douglas Morley was born in Holborn, London, England. He was the founder of the Miss World pageant. He was married to now head of the pageant Julia Morley from 1960.-Life and career:...

, 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. 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.

Disputes and vacancies

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.
1954 Irène Tunc
Irène Tunc
Irène Tunc was a French actress and model. She was crowned Miss France in 1954. She was the wife of film director Alain Cavalier and she died in a car crash in 1972...

Danielle Génault No reason given, though Tunc was already starting to appear in movies.
1956 Maryse Fabre Gisèle Charbit Fabre's election rescinded after public protests. Charbit was elected the following evening.
1961 Luce Auger Michèle Wargnier Auger deposed for being a mother, even though she had informed the organizers.
1966 Michèle Boulé Monique Boucher No reason given, 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.
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.
1983 Isabelle Turpault Frederique Marcelle Leroy Deposed for posing nude in a magazine.
1988 Sylvie Bertin Claudia Frittolini Deposed for refusing to participate in Miss Universe contest.
2004 Laetitia Bléger Lucie Degletagne Deposed for six months for posing nude in Playboy. Restored after apologizing. Successfully sued her agent for manipulating her.
2008 Valérie Bègue Laura Tanguy Repudiated by Geneviève de Fontenay for "scandalous" photos in a magazine, 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. Tanguy, the second runner-up, competed in the Miss World and Miss Universe contests.

Miss World and Miss Universe

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.

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. 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.

La plus belle femme de France

Year Winner
1920 Agnès Souret
1921 Pauline Pô

Pre-World War II

Year Miss France
1926 Roberte Cusey
1927 Raymonde Allain
1928 Germaine Laborde
1929 Madeleine Mourgues
1930 Yvette Labrousse
Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan
Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan , born Yvette Blanche Labrousse in the town of Sète, France, was the fourth and last wife of Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III. The couple married thirteen months after the Aga Khan III and his third wife were divorced by mutual consent...

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

Post-World War II

Boldface indicates winner of the Miss World or Miss Universe pageant ( the only winners from France were in the two contests held in 1953.)
     Entrant in Miss World or Miss Universe was winner of Miss France contest
     Entrant was first runner-up in Miss France contest
     Entrant was second runner-up in Miss France contest

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 Claude Godart
1953 Sylviane Carpentier Denise Perrier (Miss World) Christiane Martel (Miss Universe)
1954 Irène Tunc
Irène Tunc
Irène Tunc was a French actress and model. She was crowned Miss France in 1954. She was the wife of film director Alain Cavalier and she died in a car crash in 1972...

Claudine Bleuse (3rd runner up) Jacqueline Beer
Jacqueline Beer
Jacqueline Vangramberg is a former Hollywood film and television actress who was also named Miss France in the 1954 Miss Universe Pageant...

 (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 Lisa Simon
1958 Monique Negler Claudine Auger
Claudine Auger
Claudine Auger is a French actress best known for her role as Bond girl Dominique "Domino" Derval in the James Bond film Thunderball . She earned the title of Miss France Monde and was also the first runner-up in the 1958 Miss World contest.Born in Paris, France, she attended St...

 (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 is a French actress and model.-Biography:Hardy won the title of Miss France in 1992 and represented her country at Miss Universe and Miss World.-Movie career:...

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 Patricia Spehar
1998 Sophie Thalmann Véronique Caloc (1rst runner up) Sophie Thalmann
1999 Maréva Galanter
Mareva Galanter
Mareva Galanter is a French actress and former beauty queen.Galanter won the 1998 "Miss World of Islands" and then the 1998 "Miss Tahiti" beauty contest that allowed her to compete for the Miss France 1999 crown, which she won.Galanter expanded her work into music and singing, releasing Ukuyéyé,...

Sandra Bretones Maréva Galanter
2000 Sonia Rolland
Sonia Rolland
Sonia Rolland is a French actress and former Miss France she has also competed at Miss Universe. She is the first African-born Miss France pagant winner....

Karine Meier Sonia Rolland (Top 10)
2001 Élodie Gossuin
Élodie Gossuin
Élodie Gossuin is a French former beauty pageant winner and municipal politician.Gossuin was raised in Trosly-Breuil in the Oise département, a village about east of the city of Compiègne. In her teens, Gossuin won several local beauty contests...

Emmanuelle Chossat Élodie Gossuin (Top 10)
2002 Sylvie Tellier
Sylvie Tellier
Sylvie Tellier, born 28 May 1978, in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique. She was elected Miss Lyon 2001, and Miss France 2002.Since 2007, she is the general director of both the Society Miss France and Miss Europe Organization.She got married to Mr...

Caroline Chamorand Sylvie Tellier
2003 Corinne Coman Virginie Dubois Emmanuelle Chossat
2004 Lætitia Bléger
Lætitia Bléger
Lætitia Bléger is a beauty queen who has competed at the Miss Universe pageant.Bléger won the Miss France title in 2004 and represented France at the Miss Universe 2004 pageant held in Quito, Ecuador in May 2004....

Lætitia Marciniak Lætitia Bléger
2005 Cindy Fabre
Cindy Fabre
Cindy Fabre is a beauty queen from France who has competed at the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants....

Cindy Fabre Cindy Fabre
2006 Alexandra Rosenfeld
Alexandra Rosenfeld
Alexandra Rosenfeld was elected Miss France in 2006. Representing the region of Languedoc, she succeeded Cindy Fabre as the 52nd Miss France on 3 December 2005....

Laura Fasquel Alexandra Rosenfeld
2007 Rachel Legrain-Trapani
Rachel Legrain-Trapani
Rachel Legrain-Trapani was elected Miss France in 2007.http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualite/people/20061210.OBS2254/rachel-legrain-trapani-elue-miss-france-2007.html Living in Saint-Quentin, she was elected Miss Aisne, and chosen to represent the region of Picardie...

Rachel Legrain-Trapani Rachel Legrain-Trapani
2008 Valérie Bègue
Valérie Bègue
Valérie Bègue, born 26 September 1985, in St Pierre, was elected Miss France 2008. She is currently TV host. The pageant was held in Dunkerque, in northern France. She represents the Réunion island, an overseas department of France located in the Indian Ocean...

Laura Tanguy
Laura Tanguy
Laura Tanguy is a French beauty pageant contestant who was elected second runner-up of Miss France 2008. She is the back of the Miss France 2008 under Valérie Bègue for all official representations alongside Genevieve de Fontenay, as well as for the regional elections qualifiers Miss France 2009,...

Laura Tanguy
2009 Chloé Mortaud
Chloé Mortaud
Chloé Mortaud is a French beauty pageant contestant who won Miss France 2009. She represented the Albigeois-Midi-Pyrénées, a southwest region of France, and became the first winner of the Miss France beauty pageant to have dual citizenship, French and American...

Chloé Mortaud (3rd runner up) Chloé Mortaud (Top 10)
2010 Malika Ménard
Malika Ménard
Malika Ménard is a French beauty pageant titleholder, who won the title of Miss France 2010 and represented her country in Miss Universe 2010.-Miss France:...

Virginie Dechenaud
Virginie Dechenaud
Virginie Dechenaud is a French beauty pageant winner who represented Rhône-Alpes and placed first runner-up to Miss France 2010.-Miss France:...

 (Top 25)
Malika Ménard (Top 15)
2011 Laury Thilleman
Laury Thilleman
Laury Thilleman is a French beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss France 2011 on December 4, 2010. She made the top 10 at Miss Universe 2011 and will also represent her country in Miss World 2011.-Miss France:...

Clémence Oleksy Laury Thilleman (Top 10)

External links

Official site
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