Brigitte Bardot, who has died at the age of 91, swept away cinema's staid 1950s' portrayal of women - coming to personify a new age of sexual liberation.
On screen, she was a French cocktail of kittenish charm and continental sensuality. One publication called her the princess of pout and the countess of come hither, but it was an image she grew to loathe.
Ruthlessly marketed as a hedonistic sex symbol, Bardot was frustrated in her ambition to become a serious actress. Eventually, she abandoned her career to campaign for animal welfare.
Years later, her reputation was damaged when she made homophobic slurs and was fined multiple times for inciting racial hatred. Her son also sued her for emotional damage after she said she would have preferred to give birth to a little dog.
It was a scar on the memory of an icon, who - in her prime - put the bikini, female desire, and French cinema on the map.
Bardot helped to make the bikini socially acceptable in the 1950s.
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born in Paris on 28 September 1934. She and her sister, Marie-Jeanne, grew up in a luxurious apartment in the plushest district of the city. Her Catholic parents were wealthy and pious, demanding high standards of their children.
With German troops occupying Paris during World War II, Bardot spent most of her time at home, dancing to records. Her mother encouraged her interest and enrolled her in ballet classes from the age of seven. She was described as an outstanding pupil, winning awards.
A family friend persuaded her to pose for a magazine cover, which caused a sensation.
Pictured in a series of young, modish outfits, she became the embodiment of a new jeune fille style, becoming the most famous cover girl in Paris at just 16 years old.
Her pictures caught the attention of film director Marc Allegret, who had his assistant track her down.
Despite early unsuccessful screen tests, Allegret's assistant, Roger Vadim, took her on, sparking an intense relationship. They married, and Bardot starred in the 1956 film And God Created Woman, which catapulted her to international fame, viewed as scandalous in America for its bold portrayal of female sexuality.
However, her personal life was tumultuous. Constantly in the public eye and often mired in scandal, Bardot's marriages and relationships reflected the conflicts of fame and societal expectations. Her third marriage to a millionaire German playboy and subsequent lovers only added to her notoriety.
In the 1970s, mainstream media began to turn against her as she made controversial political statements. Despite this, she remained a strong advocate for animal rights, retiring from acting in 1973 to focus on her causes.
In her later years, legal troubles regarding her outspoken views plagued her, tarnishing her legacy as an actress and animal rights activist.
As Bardot contended with her complex identity, she transitioned from an infatuated starlet to an outspoken figure challenging social norms while navigating the inherent contradictions in her life.
