Considered as the "national chanteuse" during her heyday, Édith Piaf practically introduced the modern Parisian lifestyle. Her song, "La Vie En Rose," continues to not only be a classic hit among Parisians but an actual way of life as well. But her own life was anything but rosy. Hers is the quintessential tragic superstar story, famous one day, obsolete the next. Her continued fame even during the Second World War made her a polarizing figure in France at the time. But in the end, her beautiful voice, the strength of character, and undeniable allure won the French people's hearts all over again.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel not only changed fashion's history but practically laid out how people should in the modern era. She did away with the sweeping floor-length skirts and constricting corsets, and she instead relied on couture tailoring and comfortable fabrics to help usher in a new era. Her revolutionary designs were newsworthy at the time, but through the years, have become style staples that all women. no matter her class will have in their wardrobes. A notorious figure herself, Justine Picardie's "Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life" not only talks about her influence on fashion but the dark side of her past during World War II!
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Who better to tell her story than Josephine Baker herself? And what a story it is! In her eponymous autobiography, she detailed how she came to dominate the French capital and become one of its most beloved stars during the early 20th-century. Even though she was an African-American who was born in the South, she came to be a legend in show business. She overcame the social barriers that worked against her and became the toast of Paris. So impactful were her influences that today, especially in burlesque shows, they're still very much evident.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
From one sex bomb to another. Brigitte Bardot dominated French cinema from the 1950s to the 60s. She became the ultimate French bombshell, a sort of European version of the great Marilyn Monroe. But her type of sex appeal was different. More than just her sensational figure, she used her own charms to really seduce the audiences, making them go absolutely crazy in the movie theaters. Barnett Singer's "Brigitte Bardot: an Autobiography" details how the young blond beauty became France's biggest star. And all the trials, tribulations, and heartaches she experienced to get to that point!
Source: Wikimedia Commons
At the same time that Bardot was reducing the pants off of movie audiences. Catherine Deneuve did the same thing but had a little bit more elegance. Having achieved superstardom with her risque yet oh-so-sexy role in "Belle du Jour," Benauve went on to become one of French cinema's most alluring leading ladies. It even came to the point that she was regarded as one of the most beautiful women who ever lived. And while that's up for debate, her rise to fame certainly isn't! In her autobiography, "Close Up and Personal" she confesses all of what she did and went through to become the icon that she is now!
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Paris is a woman And what a woman she is! Over the years. countless women have shown that Paris is one of the best places for them to live out their dreams and make their own marks in the world. And these five icons' stories stand testament to that!
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