There is so much to write about Brigitte Bardot, her 50’s, 60’s,70’s images have profoundly influenced the fashion and media world. She was not only a great beauty, she was a totally new kind of woman, she had sex appeal and used her sexuality in her image and her lifestyle. She also did what she wanted, was pretty outspoken and has upset numerous people along a acting career and even more when she became an ardent animal right activist. She became extremely famous in the 50’s and 60’s at a time when women’s rights was not a social movement and the majority of women were not meant to have an opinion.
She changed the world of celebrity as she was one the first global celebrity who used her huge fame to make money selling her image to brands. We are now so used to see an intrinsic relationship between stars and brands, ever appearing in television commercials and global press advertising but this is a relatively new partnership.
Brigitte Bardot didn’t follow the Hollywood path where stars image was completely managed and controlled by the studios. She used her sex-kitten image, a term which was created for her, to obtain cars, contracts etc…She always managed her business with ingenuity and acumen.
On the chapter of beauty, BB was a new kind of woman, a kind the world had never seen, BB was a sex symbol without mystery, totally in your face, and at a time when Marilyn or Betty Grable exhibited their short, voluptuous silhouettes and their very full curves, BB hit the spotlight with her long, slender and sporty figure and managed to look almost completely naked even when she was dressed.
Over the short and sophisticated hairstyles preferred by other film stars, Bardot chose to let her hair in the wind and the famous French star will impose a challengingly new image : the natural look of one who lives in the open air and nature. But although the actress’s untold statement was was to be wild and free, her face was never free of makeup and to this day, there is only one single photo of Bardot without makeup and this photo is better guarded than Fort Knox as it cannot be found anywhere…
However at only 36 years Bardot tires of the world of cinema, in truth, she never really liked acting. For BB it has always been the job for which she was outrageously well paid and she therefore decided to drop it overnight. Just like Garbo she never made a come-back despite many financially stunning proposals. As an example, in the 80s, she was offered a million french francs for a film scene, lasting less than five minutes where she was just to play cards.
Liberated from this world, BB will not cling desperately to her beauty (like many others) but will pay a high price for her casual attitude as too much Saint Tropez sun and too many cigarettes are not good for the skin. Bardot will quickly look much older than her age and even though it can of no importance to some retired actresses, it is not the case for a woman completely accustomed never be alone and to have plenty of men’s attentions, and when candidates became rare, she became lonely and bitter. Added to this bitterness was the rage to not always see her violent opinions on the protection of animals heard.
After a few years BB gradually transformed into a new character, with appearance of an old hippie witch and the positions and invectives which will seriously damaged her immense past popularity. But Bardot has one lucky card, as just like in her younger years, she simply does not care !
AM x