She's fierce, she's invincible, she's the symbol of the motherland. She's Marianne, France's "Statue of Liberty". She made her debut in 1830, (18 years before the fall of the monarchy) kicking ass in a tableau by Eugene Delacroix entitled, "Liberty Leading the People", stylishly appointed in a Phrygian bonnet - like those worn by freed slaves in Greece, her breast bared, fearless. Inspired by her beauty a simple shoemaker, one Guillaume Lavabre, pens a song that gives a name to this mysterious creature, "Berceau Occitan de la Marianne Republican" , a song of revenge by the servant class upon the nobility. Thus Liberty was baptized with a good Christian name! Shrouded in symbolism from head to toe, she appears in many forms; grasping a revolutionary pike (which held aloft the commander of the Bastille), carrying with her Tables of the Law or the Scales of Justice, (depending upon the situation) occassionally accompanied by her pet lion (a validation of the courage and force of the people). One of her favorite accessories is a length of broken chain, the very essence of her spirit - Liberté! Wildly popular, a force of nature, Marianne has been immortalized on postage stamps, her image married to the most revered of French celebs; Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve, and Inés de le Fressange are just a few of the A-listers who have posed as Lady Liberty. Exiled and ridiculed during the Occupation, she joined DeGaulle's Free France movement, but of course! I wonder why her cousin, who reigns supreme from her pedestal on Ellis Island, is not known by a name other than "Liberty"? A name popular at the time she was born, such as Abigail for example. Or Gertrude - "Trudy" for short! Or perhaps we should baptize her with a more current moniker, like Britney, or Heather, or Khloe. I think I prefer "Trudy", as it contains the sound "true", Liberty always being true to those under her protective wing!
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