Geneviève De Fontenay

About Geneviève De Fontenay

Geneviève de Fontenay, born on 30 August 1932 in Longwy, is the former president of the Miss France Committee and the Miss Nationale election. She is the current honorary president of the Miss Prestige National Committee.

The eldest of ten children, she grew up in Hagondange, in Lorraine, within a lower middle-class family. After the Liberation, she entered the boarding school of Mercy. She then joined the Strasbourg Hotel School from which she graduated. In the 1950s, Geneviève de Fontenay was recruited by a cosmetics brand, Antoine perfumes. Then, she met Louis Poirot known as de Fontenay, the organiser of the Miss France contest, during a regional selection in Carnac. In 1954, they created, with Guy Rinaldo, the Miss France committee, and organised the Miss France election every year. Geneviève de Fontenay became in 1954 General Secretary of the Miss France Committee and participated in the regional Miss France galas under the title of Miss Elegance. Louis de Fontenay was President of the Miss France Committee from 1956 to 1981, the year of his death. Geneviève de Fontenay then replaced him in this position, with Xavier de Fontenay becoming the general secretary of the association. In February 2002, Xavier de Fontenay sold the Miss France company (he would receive 90% of the sale) to the programme production company Endemol. Geneviève de Fontenay nevertheless retained her title and function as President of the Miss France Committee, as the 1901 law association was not part of the sale perimeter. In 2002, Geneviève de Fontenay created a surprise by supporting Arlette Laguiller’s candidacy during the presidential campaign.

An affable character and ignorant of doublespeak, Geneviève de Fontenay is capable of refusing the Legion of Honour and sympathising with Laurent Baffie or making life difficult for a Miss France who displeases her, as was the case with Valérie Bègue, Miss France 2008.