- Sophie Vouzelaud
Pageant titleholder bio
name = Sophie Vouzelaud
nationalcompetition=Miss France 2007 (vice-miss)Miss International 2007
photo =
birth = birth date and age|1987|06|21
location =Saint-Junien , Limousin,France
birthname = Sophie Vouzelaud
height = height|m=1.80
ethnicity=Occitan French
homepage = [http://missfrance.tf1.fr/portrait_19.html Miss Limousin]Sophie Vouzelaud (born on
June 21 ,1987 ,Saint-Junien ,Haute-Vienne ,France ) was elected first runner-up in theMiss France pageant of 2007. She represented the region of Limousin.Sophie was born deaf. She is the first deaf or hard of hearing person to take part in the finals of a Miss France pageant. She communicates using the
sign language but was adamant in speaking at the finals. She is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Accounting.According to
Geneviève de Fontenay , she had a comfortable lead in the French public's votes but in the end, the jury's vote, which counts for 2/3 of the final score, elected another finalist, Rachel Legrain-Trapani, as Miss France 2007. Trapani won by a single vote of the jury.Vouzelaud requested, with the consent and support of Miss France 2007,
Rachel Legrain-Trapani , to represent France at theMiss World pageant to increase awareness and exposure of deaf people but the organizers refused, stating that they only accept the official winner of the country as a competitor.She competed in
Miss International 2007 on October 15th in Japan against another deaf person,Vanessa Peretti fromVenezuela . Peretti qualified for the Top 15, but Vouzelaud didn't.References
* [http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3238,36-843999@51-844000,0.html Article in French in a reputable newspaper about the 2007 Miss France pageant]
* [http://www.20minutes.fr/article/164781/20070615-People-Miss-France-laisse-sa-place-au-concours-Miss-Monde.php Miss France laisse sa place au concours Miss Monde 2007]
* [http://www.sophievouzelaud.fr Official website of Sophie Vouzelaud]
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