After the successful coronation of the 92nd edition of the Miss France pageant on 11th December 2021 at the Zénith de Caen in Caen, Normandy, where Diane Leyre of Île-de-France was crowned as Miss France 2022. The organization of Miss France has recently announced the inclusion of transgender women to the national competition.

The chief of the organization has announced that transgender women will be allowed to enter the contest for the title of Miss France, one of Europe’s most popular national beauty contests. The only requirement for the candidates will be to prove that they had recorded their female civil identity with the public registry as informed by Alexia Laroche-Joubert, the newly appointed chairwoman of the Miss France organization.

Laroche-Joubert, a successful television producer, was brought in three months ago to shore up the annual national contest, which has survived as a national fixture with millions of TV viewers despite decades of attacks for promoting archaic stereotypes of women.

During the finale that took place last weekend, the newly crowned was criticized by the equality ministry as ‘backward’ and discriminatory as the pageant has strict criteria stating that contestants must be single, at least 1.7 metres in height and under the age of 25. Responding to the criticism, the newly crowned Diane Leyre shared, “As a woman I wanted to show that you can be Miss France and a feminist. For me, being a feminist is deciding what I want.”

Before Miss France, organizations such as, Miss South Africa, Senorita Panama and Miss Diva have welcomed transgender competitors to the national platforms and for a chance to represent the country at international platforms. These organizations have been highly appreciated and grabbed positive attention. They have created history, breaking age-old stereotypes and empowering trans women.