Miss France Becomes Oldest Winner—Can You Guess How Old She Is?

For over a century, the Miss France beauty pageant drew a hard line in the sand when it came to age – 24 and younger, to be exact. The rules were finally changed in 2022 to allow married women, mothers, and women over 24 to participate. 

Angélique Angarni-Filopon, a gorgeous 34-year-old flight attendant from Martinique, recently made history as the oldest contestant to snag the coveted crown, though she still looks like she's in her 20s.

After winning the title, Angarni-Filopon said,  “People are always talking about my age. I think I am well-preserved. I have not got wrinkles.” And she’s right. 

The final showdown saw 30 amazing and gorgeous contestants ranging from doctors to dentists to students. Angarni-Filopon admitted she didn’t think she’d win, telling Le Parisien, “At each of the regional elections, I said to myself, ‘Oh, yeah they [other competitors] are very beautiful,’ and I saw victory moving away.” Spoiler alert: She won anyway.

“My short hair and my age absolutely don’t define me,” she said. “I did it for Martinique. This is the first crown that Martinique has won. I am so proud.”

It’s Never Too Late

For Angarni-Filopon, the rule change cracked open the door she thought had closed forever. In 2011, at 21, she competed for Miss Martinique but didn’t qualify for Miss France. Thirteen years later, she made a comeback and realized that she had evolved in her 30s. “The thirties are perhaps the best age,” she shared. “In my twenties, I spent a lot of time trying to find out who I was.”

Angarni-Filopon’s win is proof that women don’t age out of ambition. Their desires don’t have a shelf life. As she put it herself, she’s representing “all the women who were once told that it was too late.” 

So what’s next? The Miss France Organization hasn’t confirmed yet whether Angarni-Filopon will head to the Miss Universe stage. But if she does, she’ll take part in a competition that also scrapped age limits in recent years. And if this moment feels like part of a bigger cultural shift, you’re not wrong. Just recently, Miss Denmark was crowned Miss Universe, becoming the first blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman to win in 20 years. In May 2024, 60-year-old Alejandra Marisa Rodríguez won the title of Miss Universe Buenos Aires 2024. 

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