While the 75th edition of the Miss France competition, presented by Jean-Pierre Foucault, will be held this December 6, 2025 at the Zénith d’Amiens, we wanted to decipher its social issues under the keen eye of a former Miss: Muguette Fabris, elected beauty queen in 1963 at the Grand-Théâtre in Bordeaux.
“Today’s Misses wear too many hats”
Ultra-dynamic. This is how we could describe Muguette Fabris, a slender brunette of Italian origin who is very busy managing her affairs. She always lacks time, but for nothing in the world she would miss the competition. Every year, the oldest Miss enjoys watching this famous election, armed with her notebook. “I am establishing a ranking of my favorite candidates, those who in my opinion could win the crown“, underlines the one who, every year, says to herself “admiring” of the result of this evening prepared by the committee.
But while the current competition has profoundly changed – both in the selection criteria and in its media coverage – what is the former mathematics teacher’s view of the current show?
“There is better, but also less good. It is a very good thing, for example, that the candidates’ knowledge is tested. However, I am moderately convinced by the proposed questionnaire (a multiple choice MCQ), too simple for my taste. I would like the candidates to answer the questions more directly and to have a better general knowledge – in history, art and even politics.”
admits Muguette Fabris – the only Miss admitted to the École Polytechnique during her coronation.
For the former beauty queen, the current Misses actually turn out to be a little too conditioned. They are trained to please as many people as possible, sometimes to the detriment of their personality.
“On the evening of the election, under the emotion, some lose part of their singularity: they wear too many hats. In front of Jean-Pierre Foucault, they repeat the sentences they have learned. Free will then fades, preparation takes over“, confesses the former Miss Angoumoisine, who recognizes all the same “that a certain strength of character is necessary to express oneself in front of thousands of people.”
In 1963, the behind the scenes of the election were very different: no brief, no training, just a horde of journalists in front of whom you had to face and answer tit for tat. The image and words of the Misses belonged to them, just like their destiny. At the time, in fact, opportunities were much rarer.
“We didn’t give up on our work because we became Miss France. That’s actually what I did: I never stopped my lessons.” admits the former professor, before continuing:
“Now, times have changed: the Misses are housed in Paris, they have job advantages. The objective, for most today, is to break into the world of show biz (radio, television).”
On this point, precisely, Muguette Fabris calls for caution: among the many candidates present on the big day, few will manage to make a name for themselves. Most of them, very young, will not even have time to train for a profession. “I therefore encourage them to plan their professional life from adolescence. Especially since with social networks, a career can be ruined in a few minutes“, she emphasizes, while specifying that she is “against“these famous networks.
And who knows what the competition will become? “With AI, everything happens very quickly. There are good things about progress, but some changes deserve to be monitored closely.
“
“Everyone is free to do what they want”
If Muguette shows such pragmatism, and encourages each woman to be independent, she does not necessarily validate all developments.
“I quite liked the idea that only unmarried young women would be accepted into the competition. The old rules were actually not that strict. Besides, even if the conditions tend to evolve, last year none of the candidates were married. The competition therefore ultimately continues to convey a certain image of women, which I like”,underlines the one which, every year, says “admiring” of the result of the Miss France show, prepared for many months by the committee.
Despite everything, Muguette Fabris wishes every woman to lead the life she wants.
“Everyone is free to do what they want, and often, it is the education received that endures. We do not change overnight to free ourselves, we often emancipate ourselves by nature, upon reaching the age of majority.”
While waiting to see how the competition will evolve on a social and societal level, this testimony reminds us that being Miss does not exempt us from everyday realities or the importance of work. A healthy perspective, far from the glitter.