Mirror, mirror on the wall who is fairest of them all?

The latest Miss France, Malika Ménard from Normandy, poses post-coronation with the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi

The Miss Normandy stunner was the TV audience’s choice for the beauty queen title, the competition being decided for the first time in its history solely by an audience vote. Previously, it had been a joint decision made by the spectators and the celebrity jury.

If it had been down to the live audience at the Palais Nikaïa the result would have been very different, with local hero Anaïs Governatori, Miss Côte d'Azur, the clear favourite. When the twelve semi-finalists were whittled down to the final five, a murmur went through the hall when Governatori’s name was not announced. Earlier in the evening 25 girls had been immediately cut from the original 37 in what has to be one of the harshest first rounds’ of all time; the competitors barely stepping onto the stage before being ushered away again. So much for inner beauty…

In the end, Miss Rhône-Alpes, Miss Brittany, Miss Provence and Miss Quercy-Rouergue joined Miss Normandy in the final’s final. They paraded awkwardly in their couture dresses before the announcement was made and Miss France 2009, Chloé Mortaud, placed the coveted tiara on Ménard’s head.

All in all it was an entertaining show put on by French broadcaster, TF1. The flamboyant 77-year-old grand dame of Miss France, Genevieve de Fontenay, received a thunderous applause, as did Robbie Williams who was in fine form. A highlight of the evening was the moment the British singer, famous for his sense of humor, serenaded each of the five finalists, who were stiffly posed behind him with smiles frozen on their faces.

Despite these unintentional flashes of comedy, anyone hoping for a giant blunder – a fall or a fluff of lines - was disappointed. Although the onstage interviews often sounded clumsy or robotic, they were so well practiced the girls avoided making any catastrophic mistakes.

At least Miss France 2010 is now well prepared to take on the year she has ahead of her: travelling around the world making public appearances, modelling and, of course, representing her country in both Miss World and Miss Universe.

HM