NELLY ROUSSEL

Nelly Roussel (1878–1922) was a trailblazing figure of early 20th-century French feminism. Born into a Catholic bourgeois family, she married the free-thinking sculptor Henri Godet at the age of twenty and had three children. Early on, she became a passionate advocate for reproductive rights, including access to contraception and abortion—radical ideas for her time.

A gifted orator, Roussel traveled across France and Europe to promote the idea of a fulfilling sexuality for women, independent of compulsory motherhood. She famously called for a "strike of the wombs" and condemned the societal expectation of women as "eternal martyrs." As a freethinker and libertarian, she used her literary talents to fight for women’s emancipation, championing the right to vote and freedom from oppressive social norms.

Despite fragile health, Nelly Roussel continued her activism until her death in 1922. Her legacy remains an enduring inspiration for modern feminist movements, symbolizing the relentless struggle for women's rights and bodily autonomy.