Miss France 2025: Angélique Angarni-Filopon Wins as the oldest winner at 34.

The Miss France 2025 pageant is one of the most prestigious beauty pageants. It is held annually in a competition that crowns the most beautiful woman in France. The woman then goes to represent the country in international beauty pageants such as Miss World and Miss Universe.

The pageant not only celebrates physical beauty but also intelligence, grace, and social awareness. The contestants are judged over criteria like their beauty, poise, elegance, and community involvement. The winner of the pageant ends up being an icon or role model for other young women in France. Until August 2023, it was one of the eligibility criteria for the pageant that the woman should not be older than 28. This year the change was implemented.

This year the Mis France pageant took place on Saturday 15 December, 2024. 30 women were parading on the stage of the Futuroscope Arena in Poitiers wh strive to win the title of Miss France 2025. Angélique Angarni-Filopo was crowned Miss France at the age of 34. She previously won Miss Martinique. She is a flight attendant from the French Caribbean island of Martinique. The competition which runs since 1920, had previously deemed all those over the age of 24 as over the hill and barred them from entering the competition. The age limit was removed in 2022, while the net also widened to include mothers, married women, and those with tattoos as organizers sought to “change with the times”.

Despite the removal of the age limit, the contestants are still deemed to be at least 5ft 7in, never to have posed nude, and be free of cosmetic surgery save for restorative procedures. “People are always talking about my age. I think I am well-preserved. I have not got wrinkles,” Ms Angarni-Filopon said after wearing the tiara, adding: “The thirties are perhaps the best age.”

“In my twenties, I spent a lot of time trying to find out who I was. I wanted to be like everyone else.” Feeling proud and thrilled she added: ” My short hair and my age don’t defy me”. Her journey includes having fallen short of qualifying for the Miss France competition of 2011, when she finished runner-up in the Miss Martinique competition, Ms. Angarni-Filopon hoped her win would inspire others to pursue their dreams without giving up.

She further said, “You’d be surprised at the number of messages I’ve received from women who want to change careers, countries, lives, but who think it’s impossible. It’s never too late,” she said.

The competition was held just days after the organizers of the Miss Netherlands followed other European countries in scratching the national contest for being outdated. The French version of the competition remained popular, with 7.43 million people tuning in to TF1’s four-hour program on Saturday. There were 30 candidates including doctors and dentists who took part in the final, parading in swimsuits, regional costumes, and ballgowns.

Frédéric Gilbert, chairman of Miss France, stated that changes to the competition’s rules, including the inclusion of transgender women, aim to encourage greater “diversity.”

The competition’s results are determined equally by public votes and the decisions of a panel composed of seven female judges.

According to Frédéric Gilbert, head of Miss France, the rule changes, which include admitting transgender women, are supposed to be more inclusive, thus “diverse.” Miss France is judged half on public vote and half by a panel of seven female judges.

A 52-year-old woman participated in the competition this year but was not sent to the final. Last year’s winner, Eve Gilles, was criticized for her hairdo. She represented Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France’s northernmost region and the first pixie cut ever to win the title.

“We’re used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair,” Gilles said after her win, emphasizing that every “woman is different, we’re all unique.”

The Miss France pageant reflects societal change toward inclusivity and the admiration of individuality. Embracing diversity in age, marital status, motherhood, and even hairstyles helps the competition move away from traditional beauty standards to celebrate women in their unique journeys and ambitions. Angélique Angarni-Filopon’s groundbreaking win at 34 years, along with her inspiring story of resilience and self-discovery, symbolizes this transformation. As the pageant continues to adapt, it sends a powerful message to women everywhere: beauty is multifaceted, dreams are ageless, and it’s never too late to pursue them.