“If there were men in the jury, he certainly wouldn’t have won.” Why is Miss France’s short hair so annoying?

Madame Figaro. “Miss France 2024” Evan Gilles caused a sensation with her short hair. Why is there so much talk about her cleavage?
Elizabeth de Feydo. – What’s interesting is that he stands out because the others all look the same. When I saw him, I immediately said to myself.This one is different from its little Audrey Hepburn side“. As for the reactions following her victory, you should know that a woman’s short hair has always been disturbing. This dates back to ancient times when hair was distinguished as a feminine adornment. A symbol of seduction and femininity. In the East, as in the West, it imposes itself as a feature of erogenous seduction, a symbol of absolute femininity. So much so that in the Western Middle Ages, women were forced to cover their heads out of modesty. Even today, beautiful, well-groomed hair requires care and therefore has become synonymous with sophistication. And good health too. Because they are silky, we love to run our hands through them. Just re-read Baudelaire. Hair is like an endless sea where one can get lost.

But why, with the evolution of our society, does short hair on women still suffer from a negative view?
For a long time, cutting hair was associated with punishment or obligation. The prisoner, the condemned to death or even the shaved traitor. Just look at how those accused of collaborating with the Germans were treated at the end of World War II. But there is also the woman who is forced to sell her hair out of poverty, a situation that still exists in some countries. Then, when women began voluntarily cutting their hair in the 1900s and 1910s, like the actress Poehler or the writer Colette, there were two messages. It is, of course, the desire for independence, but also sexual orientation. Those who cut their hair stated that they prefer women. And when we read some of the comments in response to the selection of Eva Gilles, we find such prejudice. Even in 2023

The choice to cut is also very symbolic…
Because cutting your hair, as those we called Garsons did in the 1920s, rhymes with liberation, with the achievement of independence. Furthermore, it is not uncommon to see women change their minds after a breakup or divorce. I spoke to a man who practices so-called energy cutting and who explained to me that hair is the last memory of the body. After the heartache, we want to be reborn, to turn the page. As if instinctively, cutting off this last memory of the body and emotions, we removed it. There is a sidereset“. This time it is the woman who wants it, makes this choice and does not suffer from it. Hair becomes a weapon and not a weakness.

Hair becomes a weapon and not a weakness.

Elizabeth de Feydo

Is the victory of the short-haired Miss France a development of a beauty pageant that some consider outdated?
First of all, I think that Yves Gilles won because the jury was exclusively women. It meets the standards of female beauty, but does not meet the taste of men. If there was a mixed jury, he certainly wouldn’t get the same rating. Her rather androgynous figure, this cut… She’s been chosen for women’s attractiveness criteria, like a flag bearer proving that in 2023 we’re tired of the Barbie doll.

Furthermore, several former misses have cut their hairto reign Sonia Rolland, Linda Hardy… Looks like she’ll break free from this beauty queen label.
When you have really long hair, there’s a kind of relief in letting it go. And then, we put the cursor on something other than the ancestral characteristics of femininity, and that’s why it’s a message. Hair is a decoration, so when we remove it, we will emphasize the appearance, we will emphasize the intelligence. This is where Miss France 2024 stands out, it imposes an attitude from the start and that’s what’s cheeky. I think she comes across as a modern day glamor girl with a toned head and who knows how to show she’s free. And this is ultimately the most difficult thing for society to accept. it can either inspire admiration or anger.

Elizabeth de Faido is a historian and author of Elsa Schiaparelli, The Extravagant, published by Flammarion..