Miss France
Encyclopedia
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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- Official Maldives partner page for 2011
- Passion Miss (Site for fans, in French)
- La vérité tirée du chapeau ("The truth pulled out of the hat", in French)
- Miss France controversy (summary, in English, of parts of "La vérité tirée du chapeau")