Rounded cheekbones, still youthful features, she was only 16 years old when she posed for the first time on the cover of Paris Match, in February 1951. Nobody knows her name, and for good reason, she only appeared in her first film. one year later. But our magazine has an eye. A bet on the future more than won. Brigitte Bardot quickly became the “little fiancée of Match”, a nickname she gave herself. Especially since in 1952 she married the filmmaker Roger Vadim, who was then one of our reporters.
After “And God Created Woman”, released in 1956, “BB” became a phenomenon. Harassed by the paparazzi, she often takes refuge in the Match editorial office. It’s not uncommon to find her asleep on a threadbare sofa or dancing on the tables on closing nights. With us, she knows she is safe. Paris Match would never have betrayed Bardot, who gave it so much, from his intimacy at Madrague to the shooting of his films.
The first cover of Paris Match for “BB”, in February 1951. Still unknown to the general public, she is only 16 years old.
© Paris Match
Our journalists and photographers will follow her everywhere like her shadow. When, in 1960, she gave birth to Nicolas, they were the first to enter her bedroom… just behind the father, Jacques Charrier. Her loves, her successes, her joys and her sorrows, she always delivers them exclusively in the pages of our magazine, which will support, from the beginning, her fight for animals. So, how could Match have celebrated his 75th birthday without the good wishes of his “little fiancée”? The most beautiful gift.
Brigitte Bardot’s letter to Paris Match:
The rest after this ad
Happy birthday Paris Match that I saw born!
75 years of a flawless journey!
You remain Sovereign and unique, accompanied by your magnificent emblem: “The weight of words, the shock of photos”
I’m proud to be your little fiancée
