But what exactly means feminism? According to Cavallaro (2010), the existentialist philosopher and political activist Simone de Beauvoir had a significant influence on the French feminism theory. Exemplified, de Beauvoir (1949) scrutinises in her book "The Second Sex" the social origin why women only exist, but don´t have any further rights. Chandler (2013) quotes de Beauvoir relating to her perception of the female standing in society, as she stated "One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible."
As Cavallaro (2010) examines, a social and political dispute about equality has animated ongoing debates in French feminism since the nineteenth century. The primary concern for feminism is embodied within the historical context, declaring women desperately longed for some measure of autonomy in their lives, political agitation and employment (Jay 1985). The French citizenship was limited to males (Gardiner 2007). But there was someone who antagonised the government!
Situated near Montmartre in Paris, the traditional cabaret stands for French culture and prestige dresses ever since the opening (Askin 2013).The Bohemian influence of the Moulin Rouge lasts to this day, and its spirit has been well captured in various movies.
Drivin by the desire to become independent in a era, where women weren´t allowed to be to in France, Coco Chanel started her career as a dancer in Paris, but not at the Moulin Rouge (Dion and Arnauld 2012). Her vision was all about proving that women can stand out (Chaney 2012), regarding Coco´s quote "Women must tell men always that they are the strong ones, who are the big and wonderful human beings. But in truth, women are the strong ones." (Stevens 2012).
Coco redefined the female sense of fashion (Larson 2013). She became an inspiration for women worldwide and a French fashion icon, a symbol for self-actualisation (Chaney 2012)!
She created her business in 1909, which emerged as one of the most powerful fashion brands made in France, representing timeless and classic collections (Grafton 2013). Coco Chanel established a global luxury brand, focusing on women´s needs to feel comfortable and elegant at the same time, while she will mainly be recognised and remembered for the invention of the "Little Black Dress" and the iconic perfume "Chanel No. 5" (Larson 2013).
As feminism has different stages (Cavallaro 2010), there is no doubt, no matter what time exists, women should always follow Coco´s example of illustrating female strength, even outside France!
The "new woman" in the post-feminism era might only intend to enjoy life, according to Grand (2010) and the 1983´s song of the American singer Cindy Lauper "Girls just wanna have Fun" (Viklund 2010), but the French idea of feminism still encases an incontestable determination, aligned with a certain elegance and simplicity, reflecting a femme fatale that always knows what she wants in life!
"J´en ai marre" is a French expression for "I´m fed up/ I can´t stand it any longer", and it is precisely what strong women think. They can´t see other women giving up, just as the French singer Alizée describes it in her song, that women should always convice others with their keen will!
