A bizarre row has broken out online following the crowning of Eve Gilles as Miss France 2024.
Gilles, 20, won the weekend's final, an event watched by thousands in the audience and millions on TV.
She placed third on public vote but was elevated to victory after the judges had their say.
According to The Telegraph, she was the first contestant with a "pixie" cut to win.
"We're used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair," she said.
Her victory prompted bluster from some on social media.
"Miss France is no longer a beauty contest but a woke contest which is based on inclusiveness," one person wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"The androgynous body is clearly to serve woke propaganda," another remarked.
"Making people believe that the most beautiful woman in France looks like a man is woke," wrote another in comments reported by the Evening Standard.
People were quick to leap to the winner's defence.
"So, in France, in 2023, we measure the progress of respect for women by the length of their hair," said Green MP Sandrine Rousseau.
"Support for Eve Gilles, elected Miss France, who is already suffering the violence of a society which does not accept that women define themselves in all their diversity," added Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the communist party.
During the event itself, Gilles commented on her look.
"I would like to show that the competition is evolving and society too, that the representation of women is diverse, in my opinion beauty is not limited to a haircut or shapes that we have... or not," she said.
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