Recommendations of the Editorial team
Chappell Roan has removed a tribute to Brigitte Bardot from her page, after learning about the late French icon’s far-right views and extensive history of hateful statements.
The original Instagram post
“Holy shit. I didn’t know all this crazy shit Ms. Bardot stood for,” Roan wrote on her Instagram Story after deleting her original post. “I don’t approve of that. Very disappointing to find out.”
Roan’s first post, shared on Sunday after Bardot’s death, was fairly simple. It contained little commentary on Bardot’s career. Let alone their controversial political views. “Rest in peace, Ms. Bardot,” Roan wrote. “She was my inspiration for ‘Red Wine Supernova’.”
The opening lines of Roan’s song – “She was a playboy, Brigitte Bardot/She showed me things I didn’t know” – point to Bardot’s legacy as an icon of the mid-20th century sexual revolution. She became famous worldwide after starring as a liberated, unapologetically lustful teenager in 1956’s “And God Created Woman.” She continued to push the boundaries of eroticism on screen until her retirement from acting in 1973.
Bardot’s later controversies
After her film career, Bardot largely became an advocate for animal rights. However, these efforts have often been overshadowed by controversial statements on other topics. In her 2003 memoir, she defamed members of the LGBTQ+ community. And railed against the alleged “Islamization of French society.” She was eventually charged with inciting racial hatred and fined 5,000 euros.
Bardot was convicted and fined five times in France for inciting racial hatred. In 2018, she also angered fans after she made derogatory comments about the #MeToo movement.
In an interview with “Paris Match,” she described women who spoke about abusive men in the film industry as “hypocritical.” She added: “Many actresses flirt with producers to get a role. When they tell the story later, they say they were harassed. In fact, it does them more harm than good.”