Coccinelle

Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy (23 August 1931 – 9 October 2006), better known by her stage name Coccinelle (''"ladybird"'' in French), was a French cabaret entertainer, singer, actress, and transgender activist. A transgender woman, she was the first widely publicized celebrity to undergo gender reassignment in Europe. Coccinelle was an international celebrity and a renowned club singer, styled as a blonde bombshell and sex symbol.

Biography

Early life

Dufresnoy was born as Jacques-Charles in Paris in 1931 at rue Notre Dame de Nazareth No. 66 in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. She was given the nickname "Coccinelle" (French for "ladybird") after a red party dress with polka dots she wore, which she adopted as her stage name in show business.

Career

As "Coccinelle" she made her debut as a transgender showgirl in 1953 at Chez Madame Arthur where her mother was a flower seller. She later performed regularly at the famous nightclub Le Carrousel de Paris, which also featured regular acts by other famous transgender women such as April Ashley and Bambi.

Coccinelle travelled to Casablanca in 1958 to undergo a vaginoplasty by Georges Burou. She said later, "Dr Burou rectified the mistake nature had made and I became a real woman, on the inside as well as the outside. After the operation, the doctor just said, 'Bonjour, Mademoiselle', and I knew it had been a success."

Coccinelle became a media sensation, and performed the ''Cherchez la femme'' revue which ran for 7 months at the Olympia in Paris between 1963 and 1964. In 1987, her autobiography was published, titled ''Coccinelle par Coccinelle''.

Coccinelle married French journalist Francis Paul Bonnet in a civil ceremony at the town hall of the 17th arrondissement of Paris on 16 March 1960. Her marriage to Bonnet was dissolved in 1962. She then married Paraguayan dancer Mario Costa in 1963, who died in 1977. She then married fellow transgender activist Thierry Wilson in 1996.

Media sensation and influence

Coccinelle very quickly became a media sensation upon her return to France after the operation, with a look and stage act based on the prominent sex symbols of the day. Historian Joanne Meyerowitz wrote "the more sexualized MTF showed up in the sensationalized press in the stories on Coccinelle, who worked at Le Carrousel in Paris".Meyerowitz, Joanne. ''How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States.'' Harvard University Press.

In 1959 Coccinelle appeared in ''Europa di notte'' by director Alessandro Blasetti. That same year, Italian singer Ghigo Agosti dedicated the song ''Coccinella'' to her, provoking widespread consternation and controversy. Coccinelle appeared in the 1962 Argentine thriller film '' Los Viciosos'' and was the first French trans woman to become a major star, when Bruno Coquatrix splashed her name in red letters on the front of Paris Olympia for her 1963 revue, ''Cherchez la femme''. She later appeared in the 1968 Spanish romantic drama ''Días de viejo color.''

In Israeli slang, the word ''coccinelle'' (by Hebrew transliteration − קוקסינל, pronounced oksiˈnel is used as a synonym for transgender, often derogatorily (and also as a general slur for a feminine man). The word كوكسينيل (''coccinelle'') or كوكس (''cocs'') is also used within communities of Palestinian transgender women to refer to each other.

An Ecuadorian LGBTQI+ association founded in 1997 was named after her.

Activism and later life

Coccinelle worked extensively as an activist on behalf of transgender people, founding the organization "Devenir Femme" (To Become Woman), which was designed to provide emotional and practical support to those seeking gender reassignment surgery. She also helped establish the Center for Aid, Research, and Information for Transsexuality and Gender Identity. In addition, her first marriage, in 1960, was the first such union to be officially acknowledged by the government of France, thereby establishing transgender people's legal right to marry. Her 1987 autobiography ''Coccinelle'' was published by Daniel Filipacchi.Coccinelle (1987) ''Coccinelle par Coccinelle.'' Editions Filipacchi, Paris.

Coccinelle was hospitalised in July 2006 following a stroke. She later died on 9 October in Marseille.Bonjour, Richard (12 October 2006)
Coccinelle s’est envolée.
adybird has flown away

Filmography

Discography

''Coccinelle No 1'' (President Records No 38." cda 1052)
# Tu t'fous de moi ou don't care about me# L'Amour a fleur de coeur eart-deep Love# Prends-moi ou laisse-moi ake me or leave me# Tu es là ou are there
''Coccinelle No 2'' (President Records No 12" cda 1052)
# Je cherche un millionnaire 'm looking for a millionaire# Avec mon petit faux-cul ith my little false bottom
Coccinelle - 4 chansons de la Revue de l'Olympia "Chercher la femme" (RCA VICTOR 86.012M - 1963)
# Cherchez la femme ook for the woman# On fait tout à la main verything is done by hand# C'est sûrement vous t's probably you# Depuis toujours ince forever
Star du Carrousel de Paris CD (Marianne Melodie 041625) Compilation of 20 titles.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coccinelle
1931 births
2006 deaths
20th-century French women singers
20th-century French LGBTQ people
21st-century French LGBTQ people
French autobiographers
French LGBTQ rights activists
French LGBTQ singers
French transgender actresses
French vedettes
Singers from Paris
French transgender musicians
Transgender rights activists
Transgender women singers