Miss France winner says her short hair a victory for ‘diversity’

DIJON, France: The woman elected Miss France 2024 has framed her victory as a win for “diversity”, drawing praise for her short hair as well as predictable criticism from viewers of the beauty pageant which has faced accusations of sexism.

“No one should dictate who you are,” declared 20-year-old Eve Gilles, who was the only contestant in this year’s competition whose hair was cropped short.

“We’re used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair,” she said after her victory Saturday night, adding that every “woman is different, we’re all unique”.

The woman from a village near Dunkirk in northern France was elected in the city of Dijon in front of 5,000 pageant fans.

Half the score was determined by viewers, the other half by a jury of seven women.

On social media, many viewers reacted with delight, batting down criticism…