Amid the celebrations marking Bastille Day on Sunday, French President Francois Hollande unveiled a new stamp that had been printed in secrecy for the past two months. Little did he know that the drawing of the pretty young girl would spark a nation-wide controversy. Representing the features of the revolutionary icon Marianne, the cartoon-style drawing shows the beautiful face of a young women holding up her hand. According to Le Parisien, Hollande lauded the effigy as an "illustration" of the youth that he had declared >>>

PARIS — A postage stamp depicting France's cultural symbol, Marianne, has touched off a flurry of controversy after one of its creators revealed it was inspired by a topless feminist activist who hacked down a Christian cross in Kyiv last year with a chainsaw. The new stamp depicts a youthful Marianne, a symbol of the French republic, wearing a Phrygian conical cap but does not show her topless. It was unveiled by French President Francois Hollande on Sunday as part of Bastille Day celebrations. Photographer and designer Olivier Ciappa said on Twitter that he was >>>

PARIS – A new stamp emblazoned with the face of Marianne, France’s revolutionary symbol, has caused a stir after its creator said it was inspired by a Ukrainian feminist known for topless protests. The stamp, unveiled by President Francois Hollande on Sunday’s national day, shows the face of a youthful, dewy-eyed Marianne from the shoulders up, her long hair flowing down and her hand raised. “For all those who ask who the model was for Marianne, it’s a mix of several women, but particularly Inna Shevchenko,” Olivier Ciappa, one of the stamp’s designers, said >>>

"For all those who ask who the model was for Marianne, it's a mix of several women, but particularly Inna Shevchenko," Olivier Ciappa, one of the stamp's designers, said on his Twitter account. The 23-year-old Shevchenko, who has been granted political asylum in France, is the leader of the French branch of Femen, a group which began in Ukraine and describes itself as "radical feminist". It is best known for topless protests and frequently targets Catholic or Muslim religious authorities. Most of its activists are in their twenties and some older feminists dismiss Inna Shevchenko as >>>