The XX Factor: What women really think.

I Am Interrupting This Serious Conversation ...

...in order to bring you this Barbara Walters interview with Carla Bruni, which is possibly the most sexist piece of television programming I've ever seen—and I'm not overly sensitive about these things. I have a weird soft spot for Barbara Walters—she really was one of those women who "made it in a man's world" back before anyone else did, was a pathbreaker, etc.—but watching her attack poor Carla, otherwise known as Mrs. Nicholas Sarkozy, is like watching a supercharged edition of Mean Girls Grow Up and Become Famous. The worst bit is when she tries to take Bruni's lyrics seriously, in that deadpan, over-literal, news-anchor way:  

Barbara (sounding fierce): "You are my junk, More deadly than Afghan heroin. More dangerous than Colombian white powder." Ok now, who are you writing about?

Carla: "I'm writing about ... it's not exactly me ... it's not about ... exactly someone."

And then there's this exchange:  

Barbara (sounding humorless): Another lyric: "I am a child, despite my 30 lovers." Is that autobiographical?

Carla: No, of course not. But "20 lovers" didn't sound good ...

It then gets even more ridiculous—Carla refuses to say exactly how many lovers she's had, despite Barbara's ruthless questioning; is forced to justify her decision to release a new album ("it's symbolic for me of my identity") despite being first lady of France; is asked whether she is an "adultress" (answer is no, since she's never been married).

I suppose all is fair and all that, and it's also true that celebrities do interviews like this one because they are presumed to sell albums. Still: Did anyone ever ask Mick Jagger if it's true that he really can't get any satisfaction? I bet they didn't.