Geneviève de Fontenay Court Troubles

**Tidus** Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:19 am

The seamier side of traditional beauty pageants is under new scrutiny in Paris, as the "mother" of the Miss France competition fights a legal battle with a former winner who claims to have evidence of her exploitative past.

Luce Auger, the 75-year-old Miss France of 1961, has braved the wrath of Geneviève de Fontenay, 76, the "iron lady" who has presided over the institution for decades, and taken her to court over vitriolic comments in the Swiss press last year.

Arguing that De Fontenay's description of her as a "nasty [and] perverted bitch" constituted an insult to her dignity and reputation, Auger is suing De Fontenay for €50,000 (£45,000) in damages.

Geneviève de Fontenay Court Troubles 8wfe6c

But it is the original allegations that have caught the imagination of a French public keen to see another side of "the woman of the hat". In an open letter to the International Association of Beauty Pageants in Francophone Countries, Auger had claimed that De Fontenay and her husband, then president of the Miss France committee, required their young hopefuls to pose topless.

"There had to be a photo of each 'Miss' chosen by Monsieur and Madame de Fontenay and each had to pose 'bare-breasted' for the same photo in front of the latter, under the pretext of putting these pictures in a portfolio for painters, photographers and sculptures who might take us on as models," she wrote.

The allegations, reported on the website of Le Matin newspaper in March 2008, were dismissed as "utter hogwash" by de Fontenay, who claimed they were motivated by "a desire for revenge". Despite being crowned Miss France 1961 at a sparkling ceremony in Aix-les-Bains, Auger was later stripped of her title for reasons la presidente terms "professional". In her letter, the fallen victor claimed she had refused to remove her clothing while most of the other candidates had agreed.

The spat surfaced at a time when the Miss France contest, which attracts about 10 million viewers for its annual three-hour prime time show, was being rocked by the worst crisis in its 90-year history.

As president of the organisation's committee, De Fontenay reacted with horror when pictures were published of the 2008 winner in a bikini adopting a crucifixion pose.

Making no secret of her desire to cut all ties with Valérie Bègue, she ignited the fury of the winner's native island by pursuing a zero-tolerance policy on sleaze, declaring with maximum hauteur: "She's in Réunion and she should stay there."

taken from Hector Joaquin blog