Actress Brigitte Bardot shot to international fame dancing the mambo barefoot inAnd God Created Woman, her tousled hair and fierce energy radiating a sexual magnetism rarely before seen in mainstream cinema. At just 21, she scandalised censors and captivated audiences. Her free-spirited performance in the 1956 film, shot by her husband Roger Vadim, marked a decisive break from the demure heroines of the previous era.
Brigitte Bardot, often referred to in France simply as “BB” and whose later years were marked by animal rights campaigns and far-right political sympathies, has died at the age of 91, her foundation said on Sunday. The cause was not immediately known. Born in Paris on September 28, 1934, Bardot grew up in an upper-middle-class household.
She described herself as a shy, self-conscious child who “wore spectacles and had lank hair”. Bardot’s character inAnd God Created Womanwas the embodiment of liberated femininity. The controversy only fuelled her appeal.
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Bardot became a symbol of 1950s and 60s France. Her allure extended far beyond French cinema. At 15, Bob Dylan is said to have written his first song about her, the never-releasedSong for Brigitte, while Andy Warhol painted her portrait.
Bardot’s ability to subvert traditional gender roles made her not just a sex symbol, but a pop culture icon and a touchstone for shifting social attitudes. In 1959, Simone de Beauvoir penned an article for Esquire magazine in which she lionised Bardot’s conspicuous sense of freedom. “BB does not try to scandalise,” the feminist philosopher wrote.
“She follows her inclinations. She eats when she is hungry and makes love with the same unceremonious simplicity. “Moral lapses can be corrected, but how could BB be cured of that dazzling virtue — genuineness?
It is her very substance.” De Beauvoir concluded: “I hope she will mature, but not change.” Despite her influence, Bardot found celebrity life isolating. She often spoke of being a prisoner of her own fame, unable to enjoy life’s simple pleasures.
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