Yet another Miss France

Ah the wonderful world of beauty pageants.

Just when you think everything has been said that could be on the subject, along comes another twist to the tale.

Perhaps you remember that France currently has two elected national beauty Misses; the official one known as Miss France (how original) Laury Thilleman and her rival Miss Nationale Barbara Morel.

For a detailed explanation as to how that came about you can click here.

But for the Twitterers among you who prefer bite-sized chunks;

"Organiser of Miss France contest since way back when gets uppity with company who bought rights for official competition and does her own thing."

How many characters is that?

Never mind.

Back to the breaking - er perhaps broken - news of the past couple of days.

There's yet another Miss France - the third in less than a month.

Screenshot of interview with Mathilde Florin, November 2010 - Dailymotion video

She's 21-year-old Mathilde Florin from the north of France and was a runner-up in the Miss Flandres 2009 competition, when the world of beauty pageants and tiaras seemed a much simpler affair here in France.

Florin was another elected in Paris on December 19 by le Comité Miss France historique, a committee established in 1954 and the sole body, it claims, with the right to choose a Miss who can be called Miss France.

While Florin will not be joining Thilleman in the Miss World and Universe jamborees, or Morel at...well to be honest nobody really seems to be very sure where Morel will be headed after becoming Miss Nationale...she does have a couple of international dates lined up as the new Miss France er, let's say "mark II" for the sake of clarification.

There's the heady heights of representing her country at Miss World University, which is held in the South Korean capital, Seoul, every year.

And she'll be hotfooting it along to the Philippines to take part in yet another contest, this time Miss Earth.

Reactions to the third Miss (France) to be crowned in just one month include, from the celebrity gossip site News de Stars, "Perhaps as in boxing there'll be a reunification bout so that just one woman holds all three titles."

And the comment from Cosmopolitan France that "At this rate, there'll soon be more Misses than cheeses here in France."


miss mathilde florin
envoyé par IndicateurdesFlandres. - L'info internationale vidéo.

The debate on French national identity and the election of Miss France

Er yes there is a connection between the two and it's a little less tenuous than might at first appear.

And that's especially true in the light of comments made last week by the doyenne of the Miss France competition, Geneviève de Fontenay, who seemed to give the nod to the sort of candidate she would like to see carry off the crown on Saturday.

While France is in the midst of a debate launched by the immigration minister, Eric Besson, at the beginning of November over "national values and identity", de Fontenay has in a way added her two centimes-worth by declaring how much she would like to see a woman of North African origin lift the Miss France title.

"I really hope that before I die I'll get to see a Miss France of North African origin," the 77-year-old said.

"And I really believe it could happen," she added.

"It would also be great for the organising committee and would prove to everyone that we're not so old fashioned."

Hold on to your hats, just as de Fontenay - never seen in public without her trademark headwear - might well be doing this coming weekend, as millions are expected to be in front of their small screens to watch the annual jamboree that is the Miss France competition.

To be held in the southern French city of Nice, this year's hunt for a successor to the 2009 winner, Chloé Mortaud, will see 37 pretenders strut their stuff and pout appropriately.

Without pushing a point too far the Miss France comeptition is a little like a mini version of Miss World that takes place in a week's time in Johannesburg.

Indeed Mortaud, who won last year as Miss Albigeois-Midi-Pyrénées , and will be carrying this country's hopes in South Africa next week, holds dual French-American nationality.

And among this year's contestants for Miss France, there will of course be competitors from its overseas departments and territories; Misses from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique; from Guyana in South America and Saint Pierre and Miquelon in North America, the Indian ocean islands of Mayotte and Réunion, and Pacific ocean representatives from New Caledonia and Tahiti.

Anyway back to de Fontenay's remarks.

Could she have had anyone in mind when uttering them?

Perhaps. Because lo and behold there is one woman who would fit the bill as the 19-year-old Miss Picardie, Juliette Boubaaya, (you can see her photos here) is of North African origin and according to de Fontenay is "a ravishing young woman."

Slightly kinder words than she had recently for Mortaud, who, although she admitted was "very pretty" remained for her "a girl who wasn't particularly charming."

Could there yet again be a whiff of handbags at dawn in the air?