The upper house of parliament in France voted to ban beauty pageants for girls aged 16 and under in order to prevent the "hypersexualization" of teenagers and children, The Guardian reported.
Government officials voted on Wednesday after Chantal Jouanno, former sports minister under President Nicolas Sarkozy, issued the proposal in an effort to enforce gender equality.
"Don't let us allow our girls to believe from an early age that their only value is their looks," Joanno told legislators. "Don't let us allow commercial interests to outweigh social interests.
"Lawmakers are not moralisers, but we have a duty to defend the superior interest of the child ... At this age, you need to concentrate on acquiring knowledge. Yet with mini-Miss competitions and other demonstrations, we are fixing the projectors on their physical appearance. I have a hard time seeing how these competitions are in the greater interest of the child."
If pageant organizers allow underage girls to participate in "Mini-Miss" pageants, they could face two years in prison and fines up to $40,000 under the new law.
The legislation was deemed too harsh and opposed by Socialist senator Virginie Klès, who introduced the bill to the upper house, and the government's spokesperson and women's rights minister, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem.
Vallaud-Belkacem suggested that pageant directors should apply for permission to allow the young girls to compete in the pageants, but her idea was not supported with votes.
In a report issued in 2012, Joanno previously brought up the issue of hypersexualization in young girls, including "the sexualisation of their expressions, postures or clothes that are too precocious," and said "the phenomenon is more and more present."
Michel Le Parmentier, who has held beauty pageants in France since 1989, said he discussed pageant regulations with legislators before but is disappointed by the their recent decision.
The law has moved to the lower house to seek approval.
