CarnalNation

Clipped from: www.thesun.co.uk by clp.ly

On the evening of Tuesday, March 2, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, hosted a state dinner at the Elysée Palace in honor of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Since that night, the foreign press, particularly the British tabloids, have published endless commentary about the event—not because of any progress made in Franco-Russian relations but because of what the First Lady of France did and did not wear for the occasion. Madame Sarkozy donned a floor-length, form-fitting turquoise gown by Roland Mouret that was, in fact, so form-fitting that it became immediately evident that she was not wearing a bra. Thus, the cold media spotlight illuminated her... um... headlights. Quel scandale!

Clipped from: news.bbc.co.uk by clp.ly

As a former fashion model, Madame Sarkozy is no stranger to making fashion statements—whether clothed or not. Besides, the French have seen their president's wife in the nude before, and they often take such things as nudity and sex in stride. The famous photographer Helmut Newton took a nude portrait of her in 1992, and this portrait has come up at auction several times since she became First Lady. The black-and-white photo shows Bruni nude against a gray background. With a facial expression that almost dares the viewer to comment, she unapologetically displays her breasts. However, her hands come together to hide her vulva, and her right leg—a bit forward, slightly bent, and turned inward—further suggest some degree of modesty. But this seemingly pudic pose is belied by that look, at once so defiant and confident. Was Newton making a statement about such contradictions as embodied in his subject or was Bruni herself playing with sexuality and artifice? One of these portraits sold at a London auction for $91,000 (£46,098) in 2008, but more recent auction house offerings of the image have been bought in because they failed to make the reserve. So while it would seem that the world has grown weary of one of the world's most beautiful women undressed, it was precisely a dress and what it left and didn't leave to the imagination that has sparked curiosity and controversy.

Madame Sarkozy has clearly enjoyed the publicity because it has been reported that she's ordered three more dresses from the designer. Obviously, she is a woman with nothing to hide—and why should she? But perhaps even more revealing than that tight blue dress is what various English-language newspapers have had to say about Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's sartorial splendor: