Failing to comply could land the contestant with a 5,000-euro ($5,822) fine, according to Miss France’s terms and conditions. While the mission statement of the competition is to find “the young woman most representative of beauty and elegance,” the strict registration requirements mean contenders for the crown are somewhat limited.

“It is high time Endemol Production finally removes all sexist clauses from its regulations.” “Beyond exploiting women for economic gain, this contest, through the violations of the law of which it is guilty, has a negative and retrograde impact on the whole of society,” wrote Osez le féminisme in its news statement.