At six feet tall, Joris Gustave not only has the build of a rugby player, a sport he practiced for ten years, but also good humor. Ten days before the final of the Mister France Île-de-France competition, the pressure does not make him lose his smile. “I can't wait to continue the adventure. I am already happy to be in the last 14 candidates out of 70 at the start. So this is already a very good step that I have accomplished.“, he congratulates himself.
© Dimitri SYMEONIDIS / Mister France Île-de-France Committee
“On D-Day we will have five parades“
Born in Saint-Denis, Joris Gustave is the only candidate in the Ile-de-France competition to represent Seine-Saint-Denis. At the age of 28, he set himself a real personal challenge by participating in this competition. “It’s a universe that already attracted me. I presented myself for the first time, without success, to Mister France Picardie in 2000. As I think I have since acquired a certain mental and physical maturity, I took the next step again.“, relate-t-il.
For the grand final on Sunday November 24 in La Verrière (Yvelines), near Versailles, Joris Gustave followed intense preparation with the other candidates every Saturday for two months. A busy schedule that he had to juggle in addition to his work as an industrial designer in a large aeronautical group. “We learned different choreographies and different types of pauses. On the big day, we will have five shows: casual, fashion, underwear, costume… We must also be ready to speak in front of the public, to be comfortable in front of the camera. It will be a great evening of more than two hours of show, with a concert, dancers“, he enthuses. “Before the final, the training was demanding with speech coaching because not all candidates are used to speaking into a microphone, to parade standing straight and according to the outfit, and to learn how to behave in front of the public“, adds Harbbel Santana of the Mister France Île-de-France committee.
“A well-shaped head in a well-shaped body“
Rhinestones and sequins, but not only that: “It's not just a question of physics. As with Miss France, the competition seeks to highlight an ideal, a well-shaped head in a well-shaped body. To be a candidate, you must support a cause or be involved in an association. Beyond appearance, the Mister France competition conveys a whole set of values which makes it worthy of recognition. If I win, I intend to invest myself so that it shines even more“, underlines the young man.
“Help young people and try to free their voices“
For Joris Gustave, it is sport which is the vector of his social commitment. Volunteer in a volleyball sports association, he coaches young people, paying particular attention to mental preparation. “Mental health remains a subject that is relatively little discussed“, he explains. “Since covid, young people have withdrawn into themselves because of confinements, and even today some avoid talking about subjects that concern them. In my youth I myself had a rather introverted temperament, I kept things to myself too much. Sometimes this isolation can lead to drama. I wanted to train myself on this issue to help young people and try to free their voices, by establishing a bond of trust. It's a cause that is close to my heart because I can also help my little brother, who is a rugby player for Racing 92, with his mental preparation..”
With the exhibition specific to the Mister France Île-de-France competition, Joris Gustave also has other ambitions. “I certainly hope that opportunities present themselves. I already have experience in cinema for example. I was an extra for Lupine with Omar Sy, I also did several photoshoots“, he confides. In the meantime, he intends to come first on November 24, to try to win during the national final on January 25 in Reuil-Malmaison.
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