Just Marry the Damn Model, Already!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008 by newyorkinparis
I wasn’t going to post about the whole Nicolas Sarkozy/Carla Bruni affair. After all, hasn’t it gotten enough press? But with all the “did they or didn’t they get married” hoopla and the “is she or isn’t she pregnant” debate, it seems like I’d be ignoring something huge that’s going on in France right now. Actually, this Sunday’s New York Times article on Ms. Bruni finally drove me to blogging about it.
The French (and the Americans, apparently) are in a tizzy about this former top model. (Was she a super? Not exactly.) She was never just “Carla” like Cindy, Christy, Naomi, Kate, Claudia et al. But a successful model she was, not to mention the step-daughter of a tire tycoon, so she never really had to work. I always liked Carla Bruni because she wasn’t so beautiful you wondered how she could possibly exist, like Christy Turlington…
And she had small boobs like me. Girls like other girls for strange reasons.
But I liked her less when I found out she had re-imagined herself as a singer/songwriter. It’s one of those things where you go, “Oh, now that you’re bored with making millions off your looks, you’re going to try something else and use your looks to sell that?” Of course, there’s definitely some bitterness and envy there (not just from me, but from every other singer/songwriter on the planet who doesn’t have the luxury of unlimited resources to make records and get them heard.) But at the same time, it’s a comment on our society and what’s valued. You know, looks, money, power—just like high school.
Carla’s record wasn’t bad, though. Worthy of selling over a million copies? Not in my opinion, but I guess a million French people can’t be wrong. Right?
I think most of the people bad-mouthing this president/model relationship were the uncool kids in high school (like me) who can’t quite believe the Homecoming Queen who has everything is actually getting to be a First Lady. I mean, that’s like one rung beneath being an actual queen—politically, anyway. The New York Times went the opposite direction, lauding Carla for her worldliness, education, upbringing and so on… (gag… though it was in the Style section; what do you expect?)
The funny thing is that Sarkozy is in fact one of those uncool kids, who probably never imagined he’d actually wind up President, much less with a super (I mean, top) model on his arm. Not that I know so much about French politics or the President’s life and career, but he seems like every other smallish guy out there with a serious Napoleon complex, so is it really surprising that he’d want to bag the hottest babe he can? (See Donald Trump.) Especially after his first wife, also a former (fit) model, just publicly dumped him—for the second, and final, time. Isn’t it a rather tired story by now—successful, unattractive, self-made guy and his much-more-beautiful wife? (See Larry Page.)
Carla’s reputation as a “maneater” (and an obviously ambitious one) meeting Sarkozy’s various complexes (whether I’m just imagining them or not) seems as good a match as any when it comes to a relationship, high-profile or otherwise. And honestly, the 40-year-old former top isn’t what she once was. She’s a middle-aged mom and divorcée, let’s not forget. It’s not like he’s running off with Gisele here.
So can we give it a rest? Can we just let them live happily ever after or at least until this coup-de-foudre wears off and they both realize they wound up with what they probably deserved? Ouch. I guess that wasn’t so nice…
Vive l’amour!
P.S. For all the ladies out there who might be sniping: Would you really want to be shagging Sarkozy? I didn’t think so.
What an ungly face, so many cute italians and he gets the worst… good for him
Sarkozy could get a better woman, i don’t like her face is so plastic, she looks like too fake… good for him