“The scandalous are women who have jeopardized their careers and dared to oppose society”

Through the documentary The Scandalous*journalist Cécile Delarue highlights women with extraordinary backgrounds, who have allowed society to evolve. Lio, Nadine Trintignant, Aïssa Maïga, Corinne Masiero… Exceptional guests, who shared their stories, often considered “scandalous”. The program also takes us back through 70 years of history of women's rights. A documentary to discover on December 20 at 11:30 p.m. on France 3.

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Madame Figaro .- Why did you choose to tackle this subject, and these women to illustrate it?
Cécile Delarue.- The Scandalousit's an idea that Laurent Delahousse had after the César ceremony in 2021, when Adèle Haenel left the room. I chose these women because they have all been talked about for being “scandalous.” Some did it without wanting to, like Myriam with the advertisement “Tomorrow, I take off the top”. She simply wanted to treat herself to a yoga retreat, and changed the way we accept a naked body in the street. There is also Nadine Trintignant, Françoise Fabian and Brigitte Fontaine, who signed the manifesto of the 343 for the right to abortion. Juliette Gréco was also considered outrageous, because she wore pants, and had to hide her bisexuality. These are things that seem normal to us today, but were scandalous at the time. These women jeopardized their careers and dared to stand up to society. I spent a lot of time digging through the ORTF archives, as well as newer databases, to find icons that helped make this switch. For me, it was clear that it started with Brigitte Bardot, and that it ended with Adèle Haenel and Corinne Masiero at the 2021 César ceremony.

How have these personalities contributed to advancing women's rights?
They are all pioneers. Brigitte Bardot, for example, is this young bourgeois teenager from the 16th arrondissement, who suddenly strips naked. She seems to have a certain ease with her body: she brings the word “sexy” to France, and the idea of ​​sexual liberation. All the women portrayed in this documentary convey a little something different. The 343, obviously, bring the idea that we can choose what we do with our body. Adèle Haenel, by leaving the assembly during the César ceremony, showed her disagreement with the way we react to sexual violence and pedophilia. These controversies create discussion, and allow us to give another vision of these situations. Especially since these are figures for whom we have attachment, because they are known, they have moved us, and they have charisma. They managed to show us what we didn't necessarily want to see, and that's why they greatly serve the cause of women.

I regret having caused a scandal, if I had to do it again, I wouldn't do it

Isabelle Demongeot

Serious consequences

To what extent have the scandals impacted the careers of these women?
A scandal always impacts careers. I myself found myself at the heart of a controversy, since I was one of the women who denounced Patrick Poivre d'Arvor. And I see the repercussions of it every day. Denouncing or causing a scandal makes things extremely complicated. We no longer hire you in the same places, we no longer consider you the same way. But it also moves things forward. Following the revelations about the PPDA affair, a lot of women came to see us. There were even men who thanked us. They understood that they themselves had suffered unacceptable things and had to denounce them.

What was your most moving encounter?
The meeting that touched me the most was the one with Noëlle Noblecourt (RTF presenter, she caused a scandal in 1964 because wearing her skirt revealed her knees, Editor’s note). I hunted her down for a long time because I couldn't find her. I remembered this woman who was fired from her TV job because she was a presenter and she wore a miniskirt. As someone who presented newspapers, it was something that I always had in mind: to be careful about the way you dress. I ended up finding this woman. And when I told her about the miniskirt, Noëlle Noblecourt replied: “No, but you know that’s not true, don’t you know the real story?” In fact, she was fired because she refused her boss's advances, and she paid the price. Which is surprising, because she started at the same age and in the same show as Michel Drucker: perhaps she too could have had a great career. The craziest thing was the hesitation she had to tell me the name of the person who had made advances towards her. Although this man has been dead for ten years. She ended up giving it to me, I didn't think she would dare. It says a lot about what it's like to cause a scandal, and to be a woman on TV.

These are things that seem normal to us today, but were scandalous at the time

Cécile Delarue

What anecdotes particularly struck you during these interviews?
During the interviews, I discovered the story of Françoise Fabian, who had rented an apartment to allow women to have an abortion, even though it was illegal at the time. My meeting with Béatrice Dalle was also very moving. At one point, I mentioned Virginie Despentes: she started to cry, his friendship for her was so intense. My interview with tennis player Isabelle Demongeot was also poignant. She told me: “I regret having caused a scandal, if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t do it.” A few days before the interview, she wasn't feeling well. Because, every time, it's difficult to talk about these things. All of this has an impact on the body. And at the same time, I'm very grateful to her for doing it, because I think she helped us all a lot.

*The Scandalousbroadcast on December 20 at 11:30 p.m., to discover on France TV.