Brigitte Bardot
“I can’t do the same thing every night, the same gestures…it’s like putting on dirty panties every day.” – Brigitte Bardot
Long before she was saving kittens, Brigitte Bardot was the ultimate sex kitten. The blonde bombshell wowed French audiences when she burst on the scene in the early 1950s and the rest of the world soon fell under her spell.
With her poised pout and blonde locks, Brigitte Bardot spoke the international language of sex.
The Parisian bombshell didn’t plan on becoming a man eater growing up. Like most girls, she had her heart set on becoming a ballerina and even studied at the National Superior Conservatory of Paris before the fast-paced world of modeling whisked her out of her toe shoes and put her in front of a camera. Soon, the young teen was modeling for prestigious magazines, catching the attention of many photographers and the young director Roger Vadim
And God Created Woman – the film that put Bardot on the map.
Vadim was instantly smitten by the buxom Bardot and the two were married in 1952. Bardot was only 18. Acting as Vadim’s muse, Bardot started in his 1956 film, And God Created Woman, which was an instant success around the world and made her a household name. Soon women were copying her beehive hair and wearing off-the-shoulder shirts just like Brigitte.
Nicknamed “The Bikini Girl,” Bardot had no issue with baring it all onscreen and off.
Bardot continued to model and work throughout the 1960s and her bohemian attitudes and style captured the free-thinking spirit of the era. She also popularized the bikini – wearing the two-piece in many of her movies and on vacation. She divorced Vadim in 1957 and went on to marry three more times. She had a son with her second husband. Her love affairs and provocative roles and outfits created media frenzies wherever she went.
Women all over the world wanted to copy Brigitte’s hairstyle.
But behind closed doors, Bardot was not as put together as she appeared on screen. It is rumored she suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide on her 26th birthday. She often spoke about her hatred for fame and life in the spotlight despite her apparent need for attention and outlandish antics.
“I know what sin is.” – Brigitte Bardot
Despite her personal trials, Bardot set her sights on a music career and released an album in 1960. She made her first American film, Dear Brigitte, in 1964.
Brigitte claimed to hate living in the spotlight but was a paparazzi favorite for her provocative wardrobe choices.
Bardot wanted to spend time focusing on causes close to her heart and officially retired in 1973 after a starring in more than 47 films and receiving the BAFTA award for her role in the 1965 movie, Viva Maria!
Brazilians in Buzios, Brazil, were so smitten by the sex symbol when she visited in the 1960s that they immortalized her in a statue.
Bardot inspired iconic artist Andy Warhol. He painted this portrait of her in 1974 – one year after she retired from show business.
These days Bardot focuses her efforts on animal rights and politics and is still making headlines for her controversial views on world issues. “Every age can be enchanting, provided you live within it.” – Brigitte Bardot
Bardot – a bohemian spirit who still inspires today.
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