Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot is a French actress, singer, and animal-rights activist whose film roles made her an international star in the 1950s and 1960s. She left cinema in 1973 and devoted much of her later life to animal protection.

And God Created Woman: Roger Vadim’s 1956 French film starring Brigitte Bardot as Juliette Hardy, a sensual young woman in Saint-Tropez. The film’s success established Bardot as an international screen presence.
Sex symbol: A person whose public image is strongly associated with sexual attractiveness. Bardot’s star persona became a defining example of the postwar sex symbol.
Roger Vadim: A French film director and screenwriter whose films helped launch Brigitte Bardot’s career. Vadim directed Bardot in And God Created Woman and was her first husband.
Animal rights: The view that nonhuman animals have interests deserving moral and legal consideration. Bardot made animal protection the central cause of her public life after leaving cinema.
Animal welfare: The condition of animals and the treatment they receive, especially in human care and use. Bardot’s activism often pursued protections for animals, while animal-rights arguments can demand broader changes.
Contempt: Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 film about a screenwriter, his wife, and a troubled film production. Bardot’s performance placed her within the French New Wave and a landmark work by Godard.
Saint-Tropez: A town on the French Riviera that became an international resort and celebrity destination. Bardot’s films and public presence helped make the town synonymous with glamour.
Jean-Luc Godard: A French-Swiss film director and critic associated with the French New Wave. Godard cast Bardot in Contempt, placing her in a formally experimental film.
Anti-fur movement: Campaigns opposing the use of animal fur in clothing and other products. Bardot publicly campaigned against fur, using her fame to draw attention to the cause.
Speciesism: Discrimination that assigns different moral worth to beings based on their species. Her advocacy raises questions about whether concern for animals should extend equally across species.

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