"I'm not unique because of my hair, I'm unique because I'm Eve," she said.
Eve Gilles, a 20-year-old from Nord-pas-de-Calais, was crowned Miss France on Saturday. She became the first contestant in the pageant's 103-year history to not have long hair. However, soon after the results of the pageant were announced, her haircut sparked online backlash. Reactions to Ms Gilles' victory on social media included accusations that the judges were endorsing "wokeness" by selecting someone with a "androgynous" appearance.
The hashtag #MissFrance2024 became the top trending topic on X and was filled with derogatory posts about Ms Gilles' appearance. However, Ms Gilles, who has a pixie cut, argued that each woman is unique, as per a report in People Magazine.
"We're used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair. No one should dictate who you are... every woman is different, we're all unique," she said.
Ms Gilles told Euronews, "I want to be a strong woman, I want to make people realize that no matter where you start, no matter what path you take, you can achieve your goals. I want to show people that women are diverse, that we're all beautiful, that we're all different and unique. I'm not unique because of my hair, I'm unique because I'm Eve."
Miss Universe in a statement to People said, "There is no one way to be Miss Universe or Miss France, and we embrace every look that comes across our stage. We represent the times, and being your confident unique self is the one thing we see being reflected in all of our winners."
The spokesperson also mentioned that the competitors at this year's Miss Universe pageant, which saw Miss Nicaragua win the crown, had a range of hairstyles among the contestants. "We saw personal styles and hair of all types - and we love it! Short, long, curly," the statement said, mentioning that the new Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios, "has a shorter cut."
The representative added that Aishah Akorede, the current Miss Ireland, "made a statement by wearing her hair natural" at the competition, which was held last month.
The selection of Miss France is made by a jury comprised of seven women and the public vote. Despite coming in third among the public vote, Ms Gilles surged to the top owing to the jury's vote. This year's Miss France pageant marked the second year of more lenient regulations to allow for greater diversity. The pageant no longer has an age limit and does not discriminate towards women who are married, have children, or have visible tattoos.