She sounds so perfect, right? A French icon using her prestige to encourage vegetarianism? It appeared to be an example of the fusion of French culture and vegetarianism that this blog is supposed to focus on. She was going to be my role model, my Virgil, my mentor-- but then my dad warned me of her notorious reputation in France. Dismayed by his disapproval of her, I looked into her life story a bit more.
The information I came up with is rather bizarre. For one thing, I could see that she has very strong opinions about almost everything, and sometimes she seems, quite frankly, bubble-headed. For example, referring to Muslim immigration in France, she wrote "Over the last twenty years, we have given in to a subterranean, dangerous, and uncontrolled infiltration, which not only resists adjusting to our laws and customs but which will, as the years pass, attempt to impose its own." The French court charged her with inciting racial hatred to which she responded by saying "I never meant to hurt anybody. It's not in my nature."
Reading further, I also discovered that she has spoken disdainfully of homosexuals and called them "circus freaks" on more than one occasion, though in response to criticism, she said that she has many gay close friends to whom she meant no offense. I'm mystified by how she could be so insensitive with regards to both Muslims and homosexuals, and then proceed to claim she hadn't meant any offense.
I don't want to associate myself with a bumbling homophobic racist, and her affiliation with vegetarianism likely has the opposite effect than what I initially hoped for. As a public figure in France symbolizing xenophobia, her interest in animal rights probably only makes vegetarianism appear even more alien to the French.
Alas, I cannot count Brigitte Bardot my ally although her work for animal rights and vegetarianism in France is impressive. I've yet to find my French vegetarian muse.
Having your view of someone you thought was perfect is absolutely crushing :( I find it really strange that Bardot is so discriminated about Muslims, especially in France where there are many Muslim immigrants. While I have to admire her guts for saying things like that publicly, her ideas are less than pleasing...
ReplyDeleteDon't give up hope! I'm sure you'll find a muse to your liking someday ;)
--Julia
This is such a great informational post Izzy. All of this stuff is so new to me, and it's really interesting to read about. I never knew there were vegetarian activists in France, and I'd really like to hear more about them. This Brigitte Bardot character seems interesting. I also love the whole thing about searching for a vegetarian French muse. Looking forward to reading your next post!
ReplyDeleteI always find it hard when you find that perfect idol but then it turns out there are more... rotten spots about them that outweigh the positives that attracted them to you in the first place. I really liked how you presented the negatives about Ms. Bardot. I also especially liked how boldly you wrote about your opposing views!
ReplyDeleteNice blog post, Izzy
Haha! While this news is rather depressing you manage to present it in a really funny way that made me want to keep reading all the way to the end. I also like that you included a picture of Brigritte Bardot because for people who don't know what she looks like it makes it a lot easier to connect a face to the name and actions you describe. Good post!
ReplyDeleteGrace Anastasio
Well I must say this is somewhat depressing, but thanks for letting us know. Also, I love your title and kind of understand the reference.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to much more informative posts about things we might now know!