Endemol accused of sexism French beauty pageant

Oct 18, 2021

French feminists are taking the French branch of Endemol to court. The company is said to have been guilty of ‘exploitation, sexism and discrimination’ against women in the Miss France pageant.

“We have been protesting for years against that sexist election and against Endemol’s conduct. But it came to nothing. So let’s go to court now,” said spokeswoman Alyssa Ahrabare of feminist organization Osez Le Féminisme.

France has had a Miss France pageant since 1920. Endemol Productions has owned the election since 2002 and took care of its TV broadcasts. The last election, in December 2020, was watched by no fewer than 8.6 million French people on the commercial television channel TF1. As of this year, the company is no longer involved in the Miss France pageant.

,,That Miss contest brings in millions of euros in income”, Ahrabare says. “But the participating women are exploited and discriminated against.”

Endemol required the participants to be available, to be present at rehearsals and recordings, and to put their ‘private lives on hold’. The women were not allowed to drink alcohol and had to behave ‘elegantly and well-mannered’.

“But the women received no employment contract and no salary in return. While it is very clear that there is a working relationship: the women have obligations that they have to fulfill. And Endemol earns money with that.”

working relationship

Osez Le Féminisme points out that this working relationship was already formalized in the ‘Mister France’ election. In 2013, the Court of Cassation ruled that there was a working relationship between the organizers and the participants in that male election.

The feminist organization says that there is also discrimination in the election. The women must meet external characteristics. For example, tattoos are prohibited, the women must not be shorter than 1.70 meters and they must be single and childless. “That’s sexist and discriminatory,” Ahrabare says. “A certain image of women is maintained, the woman is portrayed as an object, and that is promoted on television.”

Osez Le Féminisme has brought the matter before a special court for industrial disputes. Not only Endemol has been charged, but also the company ‘Miss France’ that organized the election with Endemol. The latter does not want to respond to the complaint yet, because the company has not yet taken note of the content.

https://netherlandsnewslive.com/endemol-accused-of-sexism-french-beauty-pageant-abroad/261701/