In 2016, Iris Mittenaere captured the Miss Universe crown in the Philippines. But ten years later, France will not be there to pursue another official title through the traditional pageant route. For this reason, the Miss France committee announced in the spring its straightforward withdrawal from the international competition.
In a statement, the organization justified the decision by citing the desire to preserve the identity and values of Miss France, which it felt were increasingly incompatible with the recent evolution of Miss Universe. It must be said that there was a major controversy at the last ceremony, notably following the crowning of the Mexican contestant, Fátima Bosch.
France’s return to the competition
In July of last year, the official Miss Universe Instagram account confirmed that a French contestant would indeed appear on stage, though the identity was not disclosed. The same post also announced the introduction of a new territory in the competition: Saint Martin, which would make its debut at this 75th edition. The organizers replied by launching a casting to find a French representative with or without the Miss France committee’s approval.
A few days later, a message posted on Instagram indicated that more than a thousand candidates had already signed up to try to represent the country, while inviting other interested women to join the adventure. But in reality, this concealed another project.
A brand-new Miss Universe France committee
This initiative is actually part of a broader plan unveiled at the end of May: the creation of the very first Miss Universe France committee, separate from and competing with the historic Miss France organization. The announcement came just days after Miss France’s withdrawal.
But the big novelty with this announcement is the relocation of the pageant within France. The president of this new committee is not an ordinary figure. It is Inés Ligron, who previously led the Miss Universe Japan committee, steering the country to the Miss Universe victory in 2007. “The owner decided that the base of Miss Universe, the center of the world so to speak, would be Paris. He is Mexican but he doesn’t want it to be in Mexico; he wants Miss Universe to be based in Europe, in the fashion capital,” she explained when she took up the post at Paris Match. It remains to be seen whether this will bring luck to France.
