Miss France Winner Defends Her Short Hairstyle: ‘No One Should Dictate Who You Are’

20-year-old Eve Gilles from Nord-pas-de-Calais took the Miss France crown while rocking a pixie cut

For what is thought to be the first time in the 100-year history of the competition, the winner of the Miss France pageant has short hair.

On Saturday, 20-year-old Eve Gilles was crowned Miss France 2024 and she is believed to be the first contestant to win the competition with a pixie cut.

After her victory was announced, Gilles, who hails from Nord-pas-de-Calais in northern France, made a statement about her look.

“We’re used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair,” she said, as per U.K. newspaper The Independent.

“No one should dictate who you are,” Gilles continued. “Every woman is different, we’re all unique.”

The new Miss France wore a shimmering gold off-the-shoulder ball gown at the competition.

Related: Miss Universe R'Bonney Gabriel Is Unbothered by Haters and Focused on a Passion for Sustainable Style

In reference to the furor surrounding her look, a spokesperson for Miss Universe issued a statement to PEOPLE.

“There is no one way to be Miss Universe or Miss France, and we embrace every look that comes across our stage. We represent the times, and being your confident unique self is the one thing we see being reflected in all of our winners," they said.

The spokesperson also pointed out that at this year’s Miss Universe pageant — which saw Miss Nicaragua take the title — there were a variety of hairstyles on display amongst the contestants.

Related: Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu Says She Was Bullied Online After Gaining Weight: 'I Broke Down so Many Times'

“We saw personal styles and hair of all types - and we love it! Short, long, curly,” the statement continued, adding that the new Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios, “has a shorter cut.”

The spokesperson also noted that this year’s Miss Ireland, Aishah Akorede, “made a statement by wearing her hair natural” at this year’s competition which took place last month.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

While Gilles faced some backlash over her look, there was also a flood of online support.

French politician Sandrine Rousseau wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “So, in France, in 2023, we measure the progress of respect for women by the length of their hair?”

Fellow politician Karima Delli — who is also a member of the European Parliament — meanwhile shared a post calling Gilles “superb”  and “intelligent for embracing her diversity” with her haircut.  

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.