Laetitia Casta

Casta, whose curvaceousness has been a subject of discussion in the world of fashion, spent her childhood in Normandy and has stated in an interview with ELLE magazine: "I tell people that my breasts are 'Made in Normandy,' from butter and crème fraîche!" In 1999, Casta came out first of a national survey ordered by the Association des Maires de France to decide who should be the new model for the bust of Marianne, an allegorical symbol of the French Republic, which stands outside and inside every French town hall. Casta succeeded model Inès de la Fressange in this role. Marianne's embodiements are changed relatively frequently but each mayor chooses which bust he wants to use for his town, so past "Mariannes" can be used. Polls have shown that Casta's, Brigitte Bardot's and Catherine Deneuve's busts were the most popular among French mayors. Casta became the focus of a minor controversy when it was revealed that, shortly after being selected to be Marianne, she had relocated to London. Although she stated that her move to London was motivated by professional reasons, the magazine Le Point, among others, suggested that she was trying to escape taxes, something French celebrities are very often criticized for by journalists and left-wing politicians .