French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at the Elysée Palace in Paris, December 8, 2025. THOMAS PADILLA / AP
A vulgar slur France's first lady used to describe activists has ignited a feminist backlash in a case they say downplays the severity of sexual violence. A video published on Monday, December 8, appears to show Brigitte Macron, 72, describing as "stupid bitches" activists who this weekend disrupted the show of an actor and comedian accused – but not charged – with rape. The first lady's office has said her backstage comments on Sunday were only intended to criticize the "radical method" of the protest a day earlier against 51-year-old Ary Abittan.
But several high-profile actresses have joined in a #StupidBitch (#SalesConnes in French) trend on social media. "I'm a stupid bitch. And proud to be one," Oscar-winning La Vie en Rose actress Marion Cotillard posted to her 1.7 million Instagram followers on Tuesday.
The hashtag has also appeared in the streets of Paris. "The stupid bitches send you their regards, Brigitte," read a message on a wall from the group behind the weekend protest, according to a video it posted on social media. In another, the NousToutes feminist activist group told the president's wife that investigators "dropping a case," as had happened with the allegations against Abittan, was not tantamount to "innocence."
