Less than a month after her election as Miss France, which earned her a flood of criticism and insults because of her age, Angélique Angarni-Filopon is once again under the fire of controversy. And for good reason, the winner of the 2025 edition of the beauty contest did not want to say that she was “Charlie” during an interview on Sud Radio… An astonishing position considering the role she seemed to want to embody by becoming the first Miss thirty-year-old in history.
She announced herself as a “symbol”, capable of thinking about the responsibilities associated with her title and not shy of retorts against her detractors. But Angélique Angarni-Filopon, Miss France 2025, finally seems to be overcome by a curious dizziness, appearing timid, and even on occasion missing the point, refusing at the same time to comment on the trial of the Mazan rapists or to take responsibility of the spirit of Charlie Hebdo. Recount of a beautiful story about to turn sour.
Little revolution?
On December 14, a small revolution is taking place in the Miss community, and perhaps even beyond. At 34, Angélique Angarni-Filopon becomes the first thirty-year-old to win the coveted crown in the Miss France competition. Quite a symbol. For comparison, her predecessor, Ève Gilles, was not 21 years old when she obtained the ultimate reward a year earlier. Enough to make the 2025 winner a pioneer in the history of the competition… Or even, an ally of women’s rights?
A priorithis may seem counterintuitive in a period where these beauty contests are increasingly castigated throughout the world precisely for the image they project of women. Two days before the competition broadcast on TF1, the organizers of Miss Netherlands announced that they were simply putting an end to this event. “ Times have changed and we move with the times », They declared in their press release.
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The fact remains that since her election, the new Miss France seems to embrace this responsibility of “pioneer”. Already by becoming the first Miss Martinique to win the precious sesame, by being the only candidate to present herself during this edition sporting short hair… but also for her age. “ I am constantly reminded of my age, I believe I am well preserved », she said at a press conference just after her victory. Earlier in the evening, during her speech during the competition, the Martinican expertly dedicated her participation to “ all the women who were once told it was too late ».
If her victory at Miss France was made possible, it was thanks to an overhaul of the rules of the beauty contest two years ago. Under fire from criticism, the organizers finally decided to lift any age limit – previously set at 24 years – and opened applications to married women as well as mothers. “ I hope to pave the way for these Misses », replied Angélique Angarni-Filopon in an interview given the day after her victory at Tele-Leisure questioning her about her desire to open the way for women who could be elected at 40 or 50 years old.
And to drive the point home by displaying its desire to open the way… without however wanting to be defined according to its differences. “ There is no age, there is no limit », she still insisted in the interview in question, positioning herself as a voice in defense of the cause of women by being part of a certain modernity linked to the struggles of the time.
A wave of harassment
The other side of the coin is that the new Miss did not fail to receive a flood of particularly virulent criticism with hateful messages on social networks linked in particular to her older age than usual. Last year, Ève Gilles was the subject of equally unjustified cyber harassment by becoming the first winner to mix the Miss scarf with short hair.
Angélique Angarni-Filopon was immediately determined not to let this happen. When a user commented under one of her Instagram photos after her coronation “ she looks like a trans », Miss France 2025 takes the trouble to answer: “ Did it have to come from a woman? Didn’t you want to say something else more constructive? It’s a shame though ».
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Asked about the harassment suffered this Saturday, January 11 on the set of C l’Hebdo (France 5), she went further by responding that “ Looking like trans isn’t a negative thing. There are people today who suffer from this transphobia. » And added: “ I find it mean, unfortunate and stupid that it comes from a woman. We need to support each other, there needs to be more sisterhood on the networks and in real life. So yes, I respond from time to time. »
On the set at her side, the former Miss France Ève Gilles testifies to the evolution of the role of the winners of the beauty contest, declaring: “ Today we are the voice of fights, of values. For some we are examples. We are voices that count “. Angélique Angarni-Filopon agrees about this significant change: “ More and more, the Miss France society gives women a voice and we have the opportunity to express ourselves. And that is very important. »
“I prefer not to comment”
Except that all these good intentions are not far from being shattered in view of the controversy aroused less than a month after his election, this Thursday, January 9… Ten years after the attack on the editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo, the new Miss must have expected to be questioned on the subject when she went to the Sud Radio set. When Gilles Ganzmann asks her if she “is Charlie”, Angélique Angarni-Filopon responds with an embarrassed smile “ I don’t comment ».
So inevitably, the journalist returns to the charge: “ You could say yes… Do you think that in France we have the right to blasphemy? » The Miss initially hesitates for a moment before reaffirming twice that she “does not prefer not to speak out “. The opportunity for Gilles Ganzmann to allow himself to let go: “ It would have been cool to say yes, right? » Faced with the embarrassment which visibly goes up a notch, Miss France responds in the negative, laughing sulkily, with a movement of recoil.
The outcry caused did not take long to set social networks ablaze. In particular, we observe far-right Internet users who had raised their shield after his election, with racist insults, starting again. If the attacks are reprehensible and require putting into context – a Miss France is rarely called upon to comment on political and social issues – we can wonder, beyond deploring it out of knee-jerk reflex, about her lack of reaction to such an expected question.
Why such gazelle modesty on the part of a Miss who presented herself as more “adult” than the previous ones? Would she have planned to speak only on the issue of women’s rights, a theme that she seemed to have embraced as soon as she was elected? Nothing is less certain. Because Angélique Angarni-Filopon is not into this first type of controversy. Shortly after her coronation, the 34-year-old from Martinique did not wish to answer a question from a journalist from “Sept à quatre” on the Mazan rape trial, claiming not to have the desire or to be “at home” enough. comfortable” to do so. Thus, according to her, Miss France must “remain neutral on certain subjects”.
Misses and politics
Shortly after her election, the Martinican was questioned on another TF1 set about the very busy news in the West Indies and in particular on purchasing power. When asked if this is a subject she wanted to raise through her position, Angélique Angarni-Filopon replied: “ I think I will take a grain of salt on this because obviously a miss must be apolitical and that touches on politics ».
If the latter added “ understand the fight ”, having herself had to “ reduce (s)expenses » faced with inflation while living there, she maintained: “ I will not position myself. I am just proud of this people because we are a valiant, courageous people and when we have a cause that is close to our hearts we go for it until the end. » Obviously, outside the framework of the function of Miss…
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We can deplore it. Particularly in view of the ambitions that Angélique Angarni-Filopon seemed to display at the time of her coronation, making her a symbol… The fact remains that this new Miss France is not an exception. Beyond the now highly anticipated question on the climate, beauty contests and politics do not seem to go well together. Moreover, the outcry caused by Miss Corsica’s very difficult response to the environment during the last edition of Miss France did not prevent Stella Vangioni from finishing second runner-up.
Ultimately, it was Miss France 2024 who spoke about it best during an interview with Brut a few days before returning her scarf in December 2024. “ Politics and religion are the two subjects on which we never express ourselves », declared Ève Gilles before launching into an explanation that was surprising to say the least. “ We have a lot of children who follow us and I think that would influence them, estimated the 21-year-old Miss. They must form their own opinion ».
And finally added: “ It’s not our role to talk about it. I don’t know much about politics. Religion, let’s not talk about it! (…) I didn’t study in that, it’s not my job. It would be too simple to give an opinion “. Faced with the scandal aroused, it would undoubtedly have been much simpler for Angélique Angarni-Filopon, however, to answer the question about “Charlie”, ten years after the massacre of 17 people by Islamists in January 2015. At the time , the young woman was 24 years old… and certainly had an opinion on the subject.
