Marie Antoinette: The OG Victim of Fake News
Darling, pull up a chair and pour yourself something scandalous, because today’s tea is centuries old—but still piping hot.
Let me take you back to the French Revolution—the gripping, high-drama moment in history when Marie Antoinette went from queen of Versailles to a symbol of everything wrong with the monarchy. And what did they say about her? They said that she said "Let them eat cake!"—but guess what? Marie Antoinette never said that. Not even once.
Not even in a "tee-hee, I'm so rich and out of touch" way. That was 1700s clickbait before Twitter existed.
The poor woman was out here getting blamed for France’s economic dumpster fire, and then some drama-loving gossip mongers threw in a spicy fake quote to really turn the people against her.
Let’s set the scene:
France? A disaster. The economy? In shambles. The people? Starving and furious. And Marie? Living in Versailles, oblivious, but not actually evil.
Some grimy little revolution-era propagandists were on their villain arc, and boom—suddenly, Marie is the official face of elite cluelessness. And the best part? That quote wasn’t even original! Some random writer had used it decades earlier to roast a completely different queen. Marie just got stuck with it.
Now, was she great at PR? No. But was she the devil in a corset? Also no. The revolution came for her anyway, and let’s just say they weren’t serving cake at her going-away party.
Moral of the story? Never believe the first scandalous headline you read. Unless I wrote it. Because my tea is always accurate. Well most of the time. OK, ok... sometimes!
Now darling, I love spinning a dramatic tale—but unlike those 18th-century gossip gremlins, I serve my tea with a side of receipts.
So, here’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the scandalous truth:
Did Marie Antoinette say “Let them eat cake”?
Nope. That quote first appeared in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Confessions (written when Marie was just nine years old). He didn’t even blame her for it—he just vaguely wrote that "a great princess" had said it. But guess what? The revolutionaries needed a villain with good branding, and Marie fit the bill.Was she actually evil and hoarding cakes while France starved?
Again, nope. She was a little clueless (Versailles is basically a bubble of luxury), but she wasn’t intentionally cruel. She even tried charity work—not that it helped her public image.Was she unfairly blamed for France’s economic collapse?
Oh, absolutely. France was drowning in debt before she even arrived. The real problem? A long history of terrible financial decisions, wars, and corrupt aristocrats. Marie was just the perfect scapegoat.
Final Verdict:
Marie Antoinette? Guilty of bad PR. Innocent of cake-based crimes.
So, no confessions needed on my end—just a little historical damage control. Now, shall we move on to our next scandal, or are you still digesting this particular slice of truth-cake?
