This article originally appeared on E! Online.
Beauty queen Eve Gilles just had the most graceful response to the haters.
After the 20-year-old won the Miss France 2024 competition on Dec. 16, it was believed she made history for winning the pageant with a pixie haircut. But the celebration was short-lived after people started criticizing the beauty queen's look.
"We're used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair," Gilles said, per U.K. newspaper The Independent in an article published Dec. 18. "No one should dictate who you are."
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As she put it, "Every woman is different, we're all unique."
The Miss Universe organization showcased their support for Gilles, while also shining a light on how they want contestants to stay true to themselves.
"There is no one way to be Miss Universe or Miss France, and we embrace every look that comes across our stage," a spokesperson for Miss Universe said in a statement to People. "We represent the times, and being your confident unique self is the one thing we see being reflected in all of our winners."
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In fact, the organization noted that the Miss Universe pageant in November featured contestants with diverse hairstyles.
"We saw personal styles and hair of all types," the spokesperson continued, "and we love it! Short, long, curly."
In addition, Gilles also received support from other public figures.
"So, in France, in 2023, we measure the progress of respect for women by the length of their hair?" French politician Sandrine Rousseau wrote on X, formerly Twitter, while politician Karima Delli called Gilles "intelligent for embracing her diversity" with her pixie cut.
