Sign in to wowOwow

Enter the email address that you used when registering at wowOwow.
The password field is case sensitive. Click here if you have forgotten your password.

Please register for wowOwow

Newsletter subscriptions
Sign up to receive wowOwow's weekly newsletter and get our best picks delivered right to your inbox. Our newsletter content is hand-picked by the wowOwow editorial team and provides the top features, news, and commentary from our site. Subscribing to our newsletter is free and safe. We will never share your email or other information with a third-party without your direct consent.
By registering, you indicate that you have read and agree
with our privacy policy and terms of service.

Politics | 12/08/2008 1:55 pm

Miss France Uses Crown as Platform to Speak About Race

By The Staff at wowOwow.com
Chloe Mortaud Is Miss France © AP

She’s only been named Miss France for one day but Chloé Mortaud, a biracial woman, isn’t wasting any time. She is already speaking openly about race and ethnic profiling in her country.

Mortaud — born to a white French father and African American mother — was crowned Miss France in a televised ceremony in Paris on Saturday. The very next day she spoke to reporters about racial discrimination. The 19-year-old said, "I want to explain to people that fear of the other is unfounded," said, Mortaud who has dual American and French citizenship. "I want to incarnate … today’s French diversity."

While Mortaud isn’t the first non-white pageant winner, she is one of the first to speak publicly about race.

France is home to one of Europe’s biggest Muslim populations and some of the largest black communities. While the country prides itself on being "color-blind" and treating all French in the same way, the political system there does not reflect that. France’s ruling elite remains mostly white. In politics and other areas in France, affirmative action is banned, which may be the reason for the lack of diversity in powerful roles. But it seems that the nation wants more of a melting pot. According to reports, the day Barack Obama was elected America’s first black president, the French rejoiced in the streets and leaders there pledged they would make affirmative-like changes to level the political playing field.

 

10 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Marjorie C.
She sure is pretty. Good for France.
By Marjorie C. on 12/08/2008 2:11 pm
Ms. Dee
Beauty and brains. Always a powerful combo. Bless her heart for being brave at such a tender young age.
By Ms. Dee on 12/08/2008 4:28 pm
Belinda Joy
Aaah to be young again…..she is simply beautiful. And kudos to her for speaking her mind in the face of what I am sure are those who would prefer that she simply smile, look pretty and speak in generic tones. If she has this level of personal “Chutzpah” at the age of 19, one can only imagine what she’ll be like in 20 years. Certainly not a Condoleezza Rice…..good for her.
By Belinda Joy on 12/08/2008 7:15 pm
starry Nite
I vacationed in France several years ago- France has its difficulty dealing with its Muslim population. They are indeed progressive but they want a “melting pot” rather than diversity. Everyone is French. I enjoyed my vacation and hope to return.
By starry Nite on 12/08/2008 8:56 pm
gulliver fourmyle
when being French, be so?’ absolutely!!!!!—-are they ‘Anti-Semitic’? yep—-racists? nope—-one of our (USA) probs is ‘incoming’ does not become ‘American’—-rather cliques—-The French are clever—-limited their dictionary to under 300k words? English has over a billion? i feel French Muslims will be French, or gone—-
By gulliver fourmyle on 12/08/2008 9:38 pm
gulliver fourmyle
your ‘Key’ of ‘melting-pot’ is well-known from past colonies—-why import other ‘nations’? Le France et Les Francais—they work at keeping that—-keeping France as France—-guess they think it a good idea? i’ve owned All domestic and foreign cars +/——the toughest? an old 74 Peugeout——yep, topped a ‘74 Toyota—-bought the same—-‘hard to kill’—-the Peugeout—-and a ‘404’ is the classic ’ Colombo’ series car—- as an auto—-you’re French, or not—-they view Judaism, or Islam as ‘integrating-tribes’—-and not welcome when such—-they both go against, ‘Liberte’.Egaliet’, Fratenite’—-the base of their society—-they will not permit to change, in my view, as many have tried—-
By gulliver fourmyle on 12/08/2008 11:22 pm
astara ln
Odd question, maybe — why is Miss France, “bi-racial”, but Obama is called ‘Black’ or ‘african american, or whatever…I thought he was half white/half kenya-black — Is miss France really black, or is Obama biracial? Or is this a cultural preference? Biracial sounds more general-case — less emphasizing component labels. Maybe france and america are starting a trend… Maybe we’re beginning to see less importance on where one was born and ‘ethnic’ background, but, in order to preserve disharmony, more emphasis will be on one’s belief or mythos system?
By astara ln on 12/09/2008 4:18 am
Cheryl Mitchell
Bi-racial recornizes both parents equaly. If Mr Obama had been born in France he would be called bi-racial. But here in the US he’s called Black or African American therefore denying a part of the man. Is anyone really surprised at that?! During the campaign I entered into a heated discussion at my art class and I asked what were people afraid of, was it his blackness, after all his mother was white! that made him half black anyway, and that instructor stood right there and said “really? I did not know that! I left and never went back. I refuse to continue to surround myself with ignorance…it felt good to quit.
By Cheryl Mitchell on 12/09/2008 8:00 am
Jeannot Kensinger
When I was young (I mean the 1930’s) my mother called a mixed race person a mulato. She never intended to say it in a racist way, on the contrary she would often add “the mulato’s are always gorgeous people”. When did the word go away? Was it negative in this country?
By Jeannot Kensinger on 12/09/2008 10:21 am
starry Nite
I remember Tiger Woods tried to maintain a “biracial” stance and he took heat from both sides of the equation. White announcers insisted on referring to him as Black or African American. Blacks derided him for saying he was “cablasian” or something like that. I think we all know how that ended. Tiger Wood is called African American or black. I don’t think I know why. The U. S. census listed people as mulato- but sometimes they listed American Indidans as black-especially in southern states.
By starry Nite on 12/09/2008 9:26 pm