Representing Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Eve Gilles was crowned as Miss France 2023 during a glittering finals held in the city of Dijon at the heart of wine producing region of Burgundy. The pageant was watched by 5, 000 live audience plus millions of TV viewers across France.
Audrey Ho-Wen-Tsaï of the French Guiana was named 1st runner-up while Adélina Blanc of Provence was the second runner-up. Completing the Top 5 were Jalylane Maës (Guadeloupe) and Maxime Teissier (Languedoc).
Eve Gilles is 20 years of age and she stands 5’7.5″. She hails from the city of Dunkirk and she is expected to compete at the Miss Universe and/or Miss World competition. France boasts 2 Miss Universe crowns and one Miss World titleholder.
Sporting a short-hair, Eve Gilles believes in the diversity of beauty and France should break from the traditional long haired beauty queens. “We’re used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair,” she said. “No one should dictate who you are… every woman is different, we’re all unique.”
Her looks and her views stirred online debate with some accusing her of being woke and that the results were “based on inclusiveness rather than on beauty”. Unlike in the rest of West Europe, beauty pageants remain popular in France. This year’s Miss France is already the 94th edition and was watched by an estimated 7 million TV viewers beamed live on TF1 which is the most popular commercial TV station in the country. A total of 30 contestants representing the different regions of France competed in the pageant.
