Dear Fashion World: We Need to Talk About Your Brigitte Bardot Obsession

Dear Fashion World,

We need to have a little talk. Are you sitting down? OK, good. This won’t be easy, but it’s time we discussed your obsession with Brigitte Bardot. We get that you love beautiful icons — who doesn’t? Just look at Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren. Stunning! Lauren Bacall? Loved her. But we’re going to have to put our foot down with Bardot, no matter how gorgeous she was. And there’s a very good reason for this. She hates you.

Did you know that Bardot has been tried and convicted five times for inciting racial hatred against Muslims? It’s true. She claimed Muslims were “destroying our country by imposing their ways.” 

Did you also know she hates gays? In fact, according to The Guardian, in her book Un cri dans le silence, Bardot calls gays “fairground freaks.” Which makes us wonder: Why would anyone in our industry support someone who was anti-gay? Seems absurd when you think about it. 

But wait, there’s more! The aging former film star also dislikes teachers. Teachers. And she doesn’t dislike them because of random stories of abuse on the news. No, she hates them because of appearance. They have greasy hair and are unkempt, apparently. (We disagree, obvs.) We’re all for freedom of speech, but we can still choose those we hold up in adulation. Why put someone who despises so many on a pedestal?

On a positive note: Bardot loves animals, so there is that. And though some of her speech was claimed in the name of animal rights, most was not.

Now, we bring this up because both Loren and Bardot are due to celebrate their 80th birthdays this month. You can expect numerous editorials on the two, likely together. But you couldn’t find two more opposite women. It’s an insult to Loren to lump her in with someone so full of hate. Loren is celebrating her birthday with a new book, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow: My Life, which isn’t a hate-filled screed. Instead, it’s a juicy tome filled with tales of her romances, letters and photos. 

So, the next time you feel the need to name a bag after Bardot or a T-shirt needs an iconic image, just remember: She probably hates you. And you can pick someone, anyone else, far more deserving of your worship.  


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