7 Lessons To Be Learned From Carla Bruni

So here's the thing. There's no shortage of articles dedicated to that certain je ne sais quois of French women. You know, like how they eat more, but weigh less. Shower less, yet get laid more. They have accents, we have Billy Ray Cyrus and though we undoubtedly crush them in dollars spent at department stores (recession be damned!), they undoubtedly look better.

Now, while there's certainly nothing I like better than the grandiosity of a good sweeping statement, it's also, more or less, a bunch of garbage. (See also: a gross generalization.) But that doesn't mean we don't have anything to learn from our Francophilic* counterparts; they have plenty to offer in terms of fromage, fashion, and, most importantly: First Ladies.** If there's one thing the French have going for them, it's the seemingly inimitable Carla Bruni. (Though, let's be clear: this is by no means a criticism of Michelle -- as far as we're concerned, Ms. Obama can do no wrong, other than her eyebrows, that is. In fact, a comparison between the two is downright impossible: it's apples to oranges, pommes à oranges, Brunis to Obamas.)

So, what do we stand to learn from Ms. Bruni? Well, first off, her love of flats. By no means the originator of the trend, she is, by far, one of its greatest champions -- followed closely by our own First Lady, of course. Though she may be the only woman able to pull off a tea-length pencil skirt with flats, that shouldn't stop the rest of us from trying.

I'm a huge advocate of comfort over cosmetics, and so is France's first lady, with her thanks, but no thanks stance on make-up. In an interview in last month's Vogue, Ms. Bruni decreed that "it takes forever and doesn't make you look better after 30." We, of course, wholeheartedly agree.

Which brings us to the laissez-faire attitude of her love life. France's First Femme Fatale has famously declared monogamy "terribly boring" and made no bones about her preference for polygamy and polyandry. It's not, however, her sexual peccadilloes that we find admirable, but rather the justification for her aforementioned liberal decrees. "I am faithful... to myself," she claims and I say: truer words have never been spoken.

Speaking of, well, speaking, I can't get enough of Ms. Bruni's voice.

(And neither can David Letterman -- she had him at "Bon soir...")

A former supermodel with over 250 magazine covers to her name and an heiress in her own right, Carla Bruni also had two best-selling albums and the French equivalent of a Grammy before marrying the President of France, none of which stopped her from releasing a third album and going on a subsequent press tour. How amazing is it that the wife of the President of one of the world's most powerful countries devotes her time to not only his causes but her own career?

And I don't doubt that most other women with her looks and/or heritage would have long succumbed to a life of content consumption, but not this one. "Objects, clothes and jewelry" give her "no pleasure" -- a fact illustrated by her generally ascetic style choices. Clean, crisp lines are her cut of choice and I'm not sure I've ever seen her in a pattern, aside from her runway days, of course. There's something about her understated elegance that makes me green with envy; my clothing choices are as erratic as my eating habits -- another thing to learn from the French, I suppose.

This is a woman who makes coy seem positively cutthroat. (And, yes, that's a good thing!) Though she rarely raises her voice and seems as content out of the limelight as she is within it, there's a feline ferocity to her that I, personally, can only dream of having. I certainly don't doubt her when she claims to have an "austere temperament." The thing is, I have a sneaking suspicion that it all goes back to her mantra of being faithful to herself -- a lesson every woman, whether French or Floridian -- should learn.

* It has been kindly pointed out to me that Francophilic does not mean, as I have used it here, a French person, but instead connotes someone with a strong interest in and/or admiration for French culture. My bad.
** Also, I'm well aware that Carla Bruni is not by birth or nature French -- she is, quite obviously, Italian. She remains, however, regardless of country of birth, the First Lady of France.

*Follow Huffington Post Style on Twitter and become a fan of Huffington Post Style on Facebook*

Comments

[ywcachieve]

CORRECTION: There are NO lessons to be learned from this woman. At least not from my standpoint.

[ywcachieve]

There are lessons to be learned from this woman. I think someone is so obsessed with her, that they had to find some juvenile thing to keep her in the news.

Why is the media obsessed with this one particular woman. Our first lady met many leaders wives, while over seas.

[okjoel]

Why is it that the sum total of Carla Bruni facial expressions is a vacant stare?

[liminal67]

I like Carla she's a sweet sort of daffy .... nice or as they say in France Babba-Cool... I even like her music but I'm not sure what we have to learn from her..... Except marrying the president of France is a great PR move....

http://pitchbendpost.blogspot.com/

[bcw]

Judging from the photo of her directly to the right of the article, her "thanks, but no thanks stance on make-up" would be more accurately called "Thanks, but no thanks (but really thanks)."

[Punchumgum]

If you must wear flats because your partner is short, consider short women with very tall men - would you all prefer to wear six-inch heels all the time? I bet you would not.

[Pegi]

first of all, Carla Bruni is not French, she is Italian by origin. Secondly, look at the size of her husband, of course she is going to wear flats!!! jeeezzz. she is very beautiful and she is not going to appear taller than her husband, the President. Duh!

[dagdavid]

Carla wears flats because Sarkozy is a dwarf.

[ibsteve2u]

"Shower less, yet get laid more." Maybe they shower less BECAUSE they get laid more - no time, ya know.

[Yves Papa]

They get laid more because they shower less. What is BO in the USA is sex pheromones in France. Americans have no idea of the scent of a lady who is turned on by you.

[stormynite03]

I think that she is awesome and I admire her frankness and beauty. wonderful woman

http://socialitedreams.wordpress.com/

[Tena]

Can I please point something out about the iPod and the guitar? I can think of no more American gifts, personally. America invented pop music and nobody in the world can touch us when it comes to popular music. We do literally write the songs the whole world sings.

And iPod and guitar are such perfect American gifts that I cannot believe people cannot see it.

Y'all need to get yourselves to the Crossroads and remember what America - particularly, Southern America, has given the world in terms of music. Jazz, blues, Dixieland, bluegrass, rock and roll, rap - We have the monopoly on popular music that isn't sucky.

[ocalasatpro]

Your post was written from an American point of view the rest of the world decries. In this country we do not have a monopoly on music or anything else. Also, the South cannot claim it has the best music in the world. It's simply not true. Go to Chicago once. There's a great big world out there with people creating things we may never know about.

American is certainly a home for ingenuity, but we can't claim a monopoly on anything. That would be arrogant.

[bcw]

Ironic to pick Chicago. The best music in Chicago has always been straight outta Tennessee, Mississippi, etc.

[Pema]

there is a protocol to gift when exchanged between dignitaries. the ipod was a the second gift, the first a rare book autographed was the main one. i heard the queen liked the ipod it had film of her last visit to the us.
but american press, or blogs dont seem to get things quiet right.

[Pegi]

absolutely correct!

[nervousexpat]

umm... the Beatles were English, and I'm sorry, but Britney Spears is certainly no John Lennon...

[youngliberal]

Oh and LOL "Southern America".

[studana51]

I doubt if anyone has shown such graciousness, kindness and friendship to to our Michele as Carla has. Sorry if her birth to a family that could provide her a good education bothers some and yes, she was born a female. I think she's given a pretty good showing for it. She is a commensurate musician (try playing some her stuff)., she is a a nice person ..and she is trying to turn her inevitable visability into something positive for woman . Yes. fashion and makeup are certainly a superficial and questionable cultural element, but their very perpetuation and growth through the millennia evidence the very way things work with attraction and deception in the thing between our sexes . We only get a few shots at jobs in this life and if you look good in Versace and it sells... a lot of families in Milano get to send their kids to university and maybe become doctors, lawyers , UN negotiators... maybe save the world. In the the Talking Heads outlook "Same As it Ever Was".
The First Lady of France is a beacon of common sense from a country and world where we don't get a hell of a lot of the same. It is quite refreshing to have such an honest person, lady, artist, diplomat on the world scene when we have have decades of void of all of the same.. If you're gonna judge her, do it as the transparent, straightforword well-meaning person she is.

[Bafun]

Nobody here seems to know about her engagement for the AIDS cause and beaten women and children. Michele and her have decided to work together on these problems. They found a lot of common ground and appreciated each other. This was a spontaneous friendship.
By the way the French like their First Lady very much also if they don't always agree with her husband! They like also Michelle and don't compare what is not comparable.

[kuwaitamoment]

studana51:REALLY? Out of 19 other first ladies, Gordon Brown’s wife, and the Queen, your analysis is that Mrs. B-S showed the MOST grace, kindness, and friendship? Based on the fact that she is the prettiest ? Were you privy to Mrs. O.’s PERSONAL interactions with other first ladies? Don’t you think you are being unfair to the other “non-beautiful” first ladies?

I think we are all aware that being born to either a rich or poor family is mere happenstance, I doubt most people on this forum begrudge personal wealth. It is what you as an individual CHOOSE to do with said wealth and privilege that decides your position as a role-model. To that end Mrs. B-S is not any different than other famous women in her world (Paris Hilton, Cindy McCain..etc.). Furthermore, women have been making money off their bodies since the beginning of time. Other wealthy women such as Caroline Kennedy or Queen Rania chose not to go into the “skin-trade”. Even Mrs. Laura Bush advanced the cause of women's roles by having an advanced degree.

You wrote: “a beacon of common sense from a country and world where we don't get a hell of a lot of the same.”
-Really? With all the scholars and intellectuals that France is famous for?
-Also, What is honest and straightforward about giving an interview wearing make-up and Dior while claiming NOT to wear make-up or care about fashion?.

[kuwaitamoment]

As much as I appreciate the writers ideals of celebrating non-traditional women, I can"t help but to place Mrs. B-S in the same category as Paris Hilton. Both women are wealthy heiresses brought up in privilege and style. With access to the best education in the world, both ended up making a living off their beauty and bodies.
Compare this to the men raised with the same backgrounds who end up RUNNING corporations, countries, and institutions. Could it be that the women"s movement missed the privileged class altogether?
Are these women still stuck following the examples of their mothers (usually young and beautiful socialites married to wealthy, powerful, older men)? I do appreciate that both MS. H and Mrs. B-S have ventured out to careers in music and business but still�..

I do like that Mrs. B-S is advancing the idea that Brunettes can be as hot as blondes. I like that her long sexual history is treated similar to that of males (i.e. as a non-issue).

P.S. All the tall women out there feel Mrs. B-S"s pain of HAVING to wear flat shoes to make our dates/boyf­riends/hus­bands "look" better standing next to us. Hopefully she will bravely wear some heels one of these days while with Mr. S and he will be BIG enough to stand proudly next to her!

[AOVSS]

The forgiveness of her sexual history would only happen in Europe. They don't seem to be as prude and hypocritical as Americans !

Paris Hilton.....PLEASE she can't even keep to her word after leaving prison of helping out her charities of choice. She professed all this concern on Larry King just to gain sympathy. She is just not all that.
In most instances she just looks cheap....a clothes horse.....which I'm sure is all lent to her by the designers. I seriously DOUBT that a head of state is going to marry her.
When the best sentence out of one's mouth is... That's Hot ...well it just seems all that privileged education didn't really pay off.

[munki]

Being an Italian... her fashion is a bit off the mainstream...

interesting...

[AOVSS]

It's called effortles classic elegance.
Many Americans should take note. I'm glad Ms. Obama is paving the way for us here.

[KatStrat]

why all the praise of French women? Carla Bruni is Italian...

[Glenn1441]

Bruni is indeed Italian, but has maintained dual citizenship (Italy and France) for some time. Coupled with the fact that she is First Lady of France, she is, in essence, French.

[carjesuislamoureuse]

Actually, she renounced her Italian citizenship many months ago. She is now only French, and we are more than happy to have her ! =]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,589416,00.html

[elatas]

She was born in Italy but moved to France at 7 years old. She's lived her whole life in France but still has family in both countries.

[Tyrione]

Note the inherent contradiction in your two sentences.