When Ségolène Royal poses as Marianne...

Photo credit : myop.fr

Former French presidential candidate and mother of the children of François Hollande, Ségolène Royal, is on the latest cover of posing as Marianne, France's sacred revolutionary symbol.

Ségolène Royal, who ran against Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election, interpreted the revolutionary Eugène Delacroix painting "Liberty Leading the People". 

“Dare, Mister President!” reads the headline, with Ségolène dressed in a white gown, bare-feeted and carrying a French flag, She didn't bare her breasts like Marianne who in the famous painting, appears bare-breasted, holding a flag in one hand and a gun with bayonet in the other, leading people above the bodies of the fallen during the Second French Revolution in 1830 that toppled King Charles X.

The picture immediately caused a stir as the former partner of Francois Hollande, was widely mocked for posing as the populat French Icon.

Talking about losing to Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election, she said :

France wasn’t ready yet to imagine a woman as president.

She also called for "courage" in politics, giving her opinion on the boldness of today's leaders, including ex-boyfriend, Francois Hollande.

"History will do him justice," she said talking about Hollande, who she said had shown great courage by sending French troops to fight Islamists in Mali and by offering to contribute to air strikes against the Syrian regime.