Abstract

1960s Italian cinema ushered in a representation of the female body that brought an end to the era of curves. The fifteen-year-old French-Belgian actress Catherine Spaak became the poster girl of a model of femininity based on a new body type and lack of sexual and emotional inhibitions, becoming a role model for young women who saw themselves in the characters she played. My article traces the path marked out by Spaak through the analysis of several films as well as media coverage of the young actress, in particular in illustrated magazines, which created an inextricable link between her professional and personal lives