Miss France Beauty Pageant Sued For Discriminatory Selection Criteria

The plaintiffs argue that the companies are breaking French labour law with discriminatory selection criteria

A leading feminist organisation in France said Monday it was suing the promoters of the Miss France beauty contest in a labour court, alleging they used discriminatory criteria to select participants.

The "Osez le feminisme" (Dare to be a Feminist) group, along with three failed contestants, said they were targeting the Miss France company as well as Endemol Production, which makes the annual TV programme screened on the TF1 channel. 

The plaintiffs argue that the companies are breaking French labour law with discriminatory selection criteria by obliging aspiring beauty queens to be more than 1.70 metres tall, single, and "representative of beauty".

The French labour code forbids companies from discriminating on the basis of "morals, age, family status or physical appearance," Violaine De Filippis-Abate, a lawyer for Osez le feminisme, told AFP.