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Malika Ménard: the new Queen of France
2010-01-23 23:45
This week in Nice saw the coronation of Miss Normandy, Malika Ménard, as Miss France 2010. In a break with tradition, the choice was made not only by the jury (which included such luminaries of the fashion world as Jean Paul Gaultier) but also by the public, who cast the deciding vote.
To prepare for their big day, the thirty-seven hopefuls spent an arduous week training in Guadeloupe with the help of last year's winner, Valérie Bègue of Réunion. Regular watchers of the contest may recall that Geneviève de Fontenay, grande dame of the Miss France contest, demanded that Miss Bègue resign her position because she had posed for some suggestive pictures in the French tabloid Entrevue. Given the hardly offensive nature of the photographs, it was not surprising that de Fontenay was accused of racism, especially when she added her opinion that Bègue should have stayed in Réunion, where she belonged (Réunion is part of France).
Not to be silenced, de Fontenay next engaged in a highly public spat with Christian Etrossi, Mayor of Nice, suggesting that the Côte d'Azur was an inappropriate venue for this year: its image was one of semi-naked girls throwing champagne over each other - below the dignity of a contest such as Miss France, according to Miss de Fontenay.
Despite her misgivings, the Riviera came up trumps, presenting us (and Mme de Fontenay) with tableaux vivants reminding us of the influence of fashion on the Côte d'Azur: Brice de Nice's riotous yellow surfing gear, Grace Kelly's evening wear and even the uniforms of the gendarmes of St Tropez!
Apart from the award itself, the highlight of the evening was a guest appearance by Robbie Williams singing his latest hit 'Morning Sun', though whether it was the song or the singer who was entrancing the five finalists - Miss Normandie, Miss Provence, Miss Quercy Rouergue, Miss Rhône Alpes and Miss Bretagne - is difficult to say.
So, as Malika Ménard prepares to represent the beauty of France for the coming year, what did Mme de Fontenay have to say? To find out, watch the clip below. What does her body language suggest to you? Nice and the Côte seem to have got away with it... at least for the moment.