Brigitte Bardot, the iconic French actress and fervent animal rights activist, died on December 28, 2025, at the age of 91, in her home in Saint-Tropez. A beauty icon, she leaves behind a complex image, both admired and controversial.
A star who became a legend
Bardot, who rose to fame with " And God Created Woman " in 1956, quickly became the embodiment of a new kind of female freedom. On screen and in life, she rejected norms and challenged the codes of femininity. Muse, actress, singer, she became a global phenomenon and a symbol for an entire generation.
An ambivalent feminism
Brigitte Bardot never claimed the title of "feminist." She even distanced herself from it at times, criticizing certain contemporary movements. And yet, through her independence, her refusal to submit to patriarchal dictates, her freely pursued career, and her ability to assert herself in a male-dominated world, she embodied, in her own way, a form of instinctive feminism. She opened up a space of freedom for women, while unwittingly bearing the weight of an image shaped by the male gaze.
A woman in crisis
In 1973, at the age of 39, she left the film industry for good to dedicate herself to animal rights. She created the Brigitte Bardot Foundation , one of the most influential in Europe in this field. While her commitment was praised, her public statements also drew criticism.
A body in the media spotlight, a personal struggle
An object of fascination, Brigitte Bardot, known as "BB", has often been reduced to her appearance. Behind the icon, however, there was a woman struggling with herself, who spoke several times of her vulnerabilities, her suffering, and her need to withdraw.
