Friday, January 18, 2008

Juliette Binoche Makes News

Did posing for Playboy help Juliette Binoche land her new gig with Lancome?

Last night I read in a French fashion mag that Juliette Binoche had appeared nude in Playboy's November issue.

I couldn't believe it. It seemed so out of character. (And why hadn't I already heard about it? That was over two months ago.) Then I found out it was for French Playboy.

So who knew there was a French edition of Playboy? It seems almost de trop to have a steamy naked-babes mag in a country where nudity is not merely accepted, but considered one of the highest forms of beauty. In France, all you have to do to see beautiful nude women is to skim the pages of Elle or any women's magazine.

Be that as it may, French Playboy does indeed exist, and the new editor-in-chief, Yan Céh (quite a feast for the eyes himself), is setting about to reposition the magazine. His goal is to change the naughty-no-no-Hustler aspect of French Playboy, and take it back to its roots: a magazine with excellent photography, beautiful women, good fiction, intelligent reporting and the latest cultural trends. It seems as though the print version is in fact taking on a new look and content.

(Note to Yan: the Hooters-style website needs a little mise à jour, if you're really trying to change the image of Playboy France. Just my humble opinion.)

Here's what the 43-year-old Binoche said about posing for Playboy :

"I was persuaded by a new, young editorial team who want to change Playboy, as one wants to change the world, by speaking of the body in a different way, giving it back its soul. We have a tendency to separate the body from the spirit, separate the body from its emotions. We put pleasure elsewhere. In a way, posing nude for Playboy was a militant act. And also, it was a way of thumbing my nose at the fear of "what-will-everyone-say"; I wanted to have the courage to present my body as it is."

So is it any wonder, looking so gorgeous in photos, having more starring movie roles, that Binoche was tapped this week to be Ambassador for Lancôme's "Rénergie," a line of anti-aging products. Far from being an embarrassment to the international cosmetics giant, the Binoche feature in Playboy apparently was more of an affirmation, a credit to her elegant beauty and her convictions.

According to Lancôme, Juliette Binoche personifies French femininity. “It is an immense pleasure for us to welcome Juliette Binoche back to Lancôme. Her career choices, her natural and moving beauty, her independent spirit and generosity epitomize the values essential to our brand,” said Lancôme International President Odile Roujol.

Bravo!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

My guess is that this post will build your volume considerably.

Polly-Vous Francais said...

Well, of course it's only new news to some of us, two months old to the lucky thousands who bought the issue when it came out Oct 30.

To me the real story is that Lancome appluded her "career choices ...and independent spirit." I wonder if that would happen in the US?

The Late Bloomer said...

Yes, when I saw a few of the posters for the November issue of Vogue a few months back, I was surprised too... Of course, she does explain her decision with such elegance, it's hard not to be convinced. I'm sure it involved a certain monetary compensation as well... Which would be hard to pass up, n'est-ce pas ? OK, I'll try not to be pessimistic... I actually love Juliette Binoche, so more power to her! An excellent actress in my opinion.

Anonymous said...

Have you seen the pictures, though? Not at all erotic (in my eyes, at least). They are artistic photographs of a female nude. Looking at those pictures is just like looking at nude sculptures at art museums... I'm not very good with words, but I hope you what I mean.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/idealterna/sets/72157602928796543/show/with/1832152778/

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