Totally Booked with Zibby
Guest: Marisa Meltzer
Episode: IT GIRL: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin
Date: October 29, 2025
Episode Overview
In this rich and lively episode, Zibby Owens sits down with journalist and author Marisa Meltzer to discuss her latest book, It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin. The conversation unpacks Jane Birkin’s remarkable life—her iconic style, her deeply personal struggles, and her enduring influence on culture, fashion, and feminism. Meltzer shares her motivation for writing about Birkin, dives deep into Birkin's lesser-known challenges, and explores the meaning and power of being an “it girl,” both then and now. This episode offers fascinating behind-the-scenes details about research and biography-writing, plus big takeaways on empowerment, legacy, and living authentically.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Why Jane Birkin? (01:17–02:14)
- Marisa Meltzer’s Motivation: Meltzer describes Birkin as “at the nexus of all my nerdiest interests,” citing her love for France, music, film, and fashion.
- “Jane Birkin is kind of at the nexus of all my nerdiest interests in a lot of ways.” — Marisa Meltzer (01:34)
- She highlights that Birkin is more widely known as a namesake for a luxury bag than for her own accomplishments, inspiring Meltzer to dig deeper.
Birkin’s Early Life: The Real Story (02:53–05:39)
- Born into an upper-middle-class English family, daughter of famed actress Judy Campbell.
- Felt overshadowed by her glamorous mother and battled with a sense of “otherness.”
- Suffered terribly at boarding school, trying everything to get sent home.
- Early marriage to John Barry (James Bond composer) at 18, quick divorce, and a child.
- “She was…figuring out what to do with her life with a baby and a divorce and feeling kind of a mess and got offered this role in a European film in Paris with this guy Serge Gainsbourg...” — Marisa Meltzer (05:16)
Defining the 'It Girl' (05:39–06:44)
- Today’s equivalents include multi-hyphenate women like Chloe Sevigny, Alexa Chung, and even Hailey Bieber.
- The label “it girl” must be given, not self-claimed, and usually denotes women with fluid, hard-to-define careers.
- “An it girl is like, you can’t call yourself one. Someone has to bestow...the term on you.” — Marisa Meltzer (06:05)
- Zibby jokes: “So we’re not gonna go on Instagram and find in someone bio like It Girl. That would be...” (06:34)
Why Birkin Still Matters (06:44–07:57)
- Behind the glamorous façade, Birkin faced universal struggles: family dysfunction, addiction, loss, depression, professional jealousy.
- “She was on this grand stage and scale, and yet it was still these sorts of things that any person, any woman deals with.” — Marisa Meltzer (07:32)
- Her struggles humanize her and resonate with present-day audiences.
Birkin’s Family, Loss, and Resilience (07:57–11:45)
- Became a grandmother at 39; family life was unconventional.
- Details the tragic story of her eldest daughter, Kate Barry, whose struggles with addiction ended in an untimely death.
- Birkin’s life was marked by repeated loss—her career and spirit notably shifted after her daughter’s death and a leukemia diagnosis.
- “That is when Jane Birkin stops acting. It’s when she stops writing in her diary...her life just became unspeakably hard.” — Marisa Meltzer (09:53)
- Birkin’s creative drive remained a “life blood,” touring and creating despite illness.
The Complicated Legacy of the Birkin Bag (12:47–15:03)
- Zibby questions the ethics and emotions behind carrying Birkin bags, given Birkin’s complex life.
- “Don’t we feel a little odd toting around bags with her name on it?” — Zibby Owens (12:47)
- Meltzer compares Birkin’s situation to Michael Jordan’s with Air Jordan but notes the gendered dynamic: Birkin was a muse, not a business partner.
- Birkin herself seemed remarkably unbothered by the bag’s prominence, using hers casually and even defacing them with political stickers.
- “She had a very carefree relationship with [the Birkin bag]...for her, it’s barely…she barely ever mentions it.” — Marisa Meltzer (14:24)
- The bag’s origin: a chance plane conversation where Birkin sketched her ideal bag for the Hermès CEO, leading to a namesake product and charitable donations (not royalties).
On Biography, Research, and Choosing Subjects (17:02–19:48)
- Meltzer is drawn to women who represent fascinating eras and social histories.
- Research often involves immersive experiences (“twist my arm, I guess I should go live in Paris for two months”), archival deep-dives, and puzzle-like networking.
- “I just love research. It’s my favorite thing.” — Marisa Meltzer (18:29)
- She appreciates the complexity of her subjects: “Women who seem maybe like I can understand them a little bit… but who are also fundamentally different from me.” (18:37)
Personal Takeaways from Birkin’s Life (20:15–22:01)
- Birkin taught Meltzer to accept both tragedy and joy as universal experiences.
- Most profoundly, Birkin’s unabashed emotional honesty and boldness inspired Meltzer to embrace a little more drama and authenticity in her own life.
- “There’s a lot of pressure on women to not be too big, too bold, especially in their romantic lives, to not be too dramatic or needy. And Jane Birkin was not concerned about any of that…There was a little bit of me that allowed myself to give myself permission to just be like, yeah, I’m a person with needs.” — Marisa Meltzer (20:38)
- “Just a little bit of that craziness, that sort of, you know, European drama, was good for me...could be good for a lot of us.” (21:09)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On the power of being an “It Girl”:
- “I also think it’s sort of best if your career is hard to describe…multi hyphenates are it girls.” — Marisa Meltzer (06:13)
- On the Birkin bag’s origin:
- “It was kind of an elevated diaper bag because she had a baby at the time and was trying to tote all her stuff.” — Marisa Meltzer (15:30)
- On tragedy and resilience:
- “Everyone’s life has tragedy. Everyone’s life has beautiful, you know, high points, and that connecting and understanding, that kind of universality is good for all of us.” — Marisa Meltzer (20:30)
- On living authentically:
- “There’s something really empowering in it that I don’t think we’re told enough—to just let yourself go. Be a little loose.” — Marisa Meltzer (21:25)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Opening, Why Jane Birkin? – 01:17
- Birkin’s Early Life – 02:53
- Defining ‘It Girl’ – 05:39
- Why Birkin Still Matters – 06:44
- Family, Loss, and Resilience – 07:57
- Birkin Bag: Complications and Legacy – 12:47
- The Origin of the Birkin Bag – 15:03
- Writing Biography: Research & Process – 17:02
- Personal Takeaways from Birkin – 20:15
Tone & Final Reflections
The tone throughout is conversational, witty, and deeply empathetic, with both Zibby and Marisa championing nuanced female stories. The episode leaves listeners with a sense of admiration for Jane Birkin—not just as an icon, but as a flawed, authentic, and courageous woman. Meltzer’s own journey through biography-writing and self-discovery offers encouragement for listeners to embrace their own drama and humanity—maybe with a Dostoevsky in their bag, too.