"Was Miss France really the most beautiful?" — Angelique Angarni-Filopon clinching the title of Miss France at 34 divides the internet

Angelique Angarni-Filopon made history after becoming the oldest contestant to be crowned Miss France 2025 at 34. The Martinique native took home the crown during the annual beauty pageant at Futuroscope Arena in Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, on December 14, 2024.

Angelique Angarni-Filopon's win was made possible by a rule change that allowed contestants over 24 to participate, including mothers and married women. Angarni-Filopon emerged victorious from a list of 30 contenders and was crowned by last year's winner Eve Gilles.

However, Angelique Angarni-Filopon's win courted controversy on social media. Some netizens wondered if Angarni-Filopon was worthy of being crowned, comparing her to the other contenders:

"Was Miss France really the most beautiful?" one person tweeted.

Many agreed with this sentiment, with some online theorizing Angelique Angarni-Filopon won due to favoritism after the age limit was lifted.

"The fact she's black is not a problem, we had many miss France from West Indies, french Guyana or Tahiti or With direct african origins but they were truly beautiful. A 100%female jury made the choice only bc she's the oldest girl, 34yo, bc it's the 1st year without age limit," one person tweeted.

"She is 34. The first Miss France over 30. "They" took away everything from young people," another person added.

"Something important to add. Miss France announced she was 34 before she was elected and got a massive round of applause for that. You Can be damn well sure all French women above 30 voted for her just to reassure themselves regarding their very own appearance," someone else theorized.

However, others celebrated Angelique Angarni-Filopon's win, congratulating her for taking home the crown.

"Wow the newly crowned miss france 2025 is 34! love ittttt," one person commented.

"The fact that the new miss France is THIRTY FOUR YEARS OLD is incredible, beauty has no age and I am still younger than miss france lets celebrate," another person added.

"Mesdames et Messieurs, Je vous présente miss France. She did it, she deserve it !!!!" someone else wrote.

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Angelique Angarni-Filopon is a flight attendant from Martinique

Angelique Angarni-Filopon is a flight attendant. She hails from Martinique, an overseas region of France. Her Miss France win came 13 years after she was the first runner-up at the Miss Martinique pageant.

After winning Miss France 2025, Angarni-Filopon said she represented all women who were told that "it was too late" to achieve something due to their age.

"In 2011, a young woman aged 20 finished first runner up in the Miss Martinique competition. Today, it's the same young woman aged 34 who stands before you to again represent Martinique, its diaspora as well as all the women who were once told that it was too late," Angelique Angarni-Filopon said.

According to France 24, Angelique Angarni-Filopon will receive a year-long salary from the pageant firm as Miss France 2025. She will also get access to a Paris apartment, among other gifts.

Last year, Gilles also courted controversy upon her win, after she became the only contestant with short hair in the pageant's century-long history to win the crown.

Gilles, who was 20 at the time of her win, dubbed her victory a win for "diversity," adding:

"No one should dictate who you are. We're used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair."

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The pageant industry has often been criticized for upholding unrealistic beauty standards and promoting insecurity among women. According to CNN, the Netherlands recently scrapped the Miss Netherlands beauty pageant to help "inspire young people" differently "in a world that is constantly changing.”

“After years of history full of glamor, talent and inspiration, Miss Netherlands is saying goodbye to the name that found itself in many people’s hearts. But this is not the end; it is a new beginning. The world is changing, and we are changing with it," a statement from the organization read.

The decision, announced on the company website on December 12, 2024, added the pageant will transform into No Longer of this Time. The new project will reportedly focus on telling stories revolving around mental health, diversity, and social media, among other topics.