Scandalous Facts About Brigitte Bardot, The French Blonde Bombshell
With great beauty comes great controversy—as is the case with Brigitte Bardot, cinema darling of the French New Wave. As a model, actress, and singer, Bardot was the European bombshell of the 50s and 60s. Her rebellious streak afforded her no shortage of scandal and heartbreak, and to this day, her volatile opinions continue to make headlines.
1. She Was A Poor Little Rich Girl
Born on September 28, 1934, Brigitte Bardot came into this world with every luxury at her fingertips. Her father was a wealthy engineer in Paris, and her mother came from money—the daughter of an insurance company director.
But no amount of privilege could make young Bardot happy. As affluent as her family was, her home life was utterly miserable.
2. She Had A Stifling Upbringing
Everything about Bardot's childhood was tight, conservative, and oppressively Catholic. Both she and her sister, Minjanou, were raised to follow specific etiquette and were expected to behave like stiff little marionettes.
Her mother didn't even allow her to choose her own friends and as a result, Bardot grew up terribly isolated. Still, that wasn't even the worst part.
3. She Suffered Her Father's Wrath
On one traumatizing occasion, Bardot and her sister accidentally broke their parents' most treasured vase...and the repercussions were so horrific—she never forgot it. After learning about the smashed vase, her father flew into a rage and viciously whipped the girls 20 times. And then, to add insult to injury, he pretended they were "strangers."
Bardot spent her days walking on thin ice and she despised every second of it. In fact, the whipping incident truly sparked her rebellious nature, and the more she resented her parents, the more she longed to defy them.
4. She Had Ballerina Potential
Throughout WWII, Bardot spent most of her time cooped up inside. To pass the time, she loved putting on one of her favorite records and dancing. Her mother, realizing Bardot's gracefulness and potential, decided to put her in dance lessons.
She envisioned a prosperous ballet career for her daughter, but in a delightful twist, these lessons led Bardot to a rather different destiny—and a scandalous one at that.
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