At an early age, Mistinguett (born Jeanne Bourgeois in 1875) aspired to be an entertainer. She began as a flower-seller in a restaurant in her home-town, singing popular ballads as she sold her flowers. When a song-writing acquaintance made up the name Miss Tinguette, Jeanne liked it. She made it her own by joining it together and eventually dropping the second S and the final E (Mistinguett).
Bourgeois made her debut as Mistinguett at the Casino de Paris in 1895, and appeared also in shows as the Folies Bergere, Moulin Rouge, and Eldorado. Her risqué routines captivated Paris and she went on to become the most popular French entertainer of her time and the highest paid female entertainer in the world. In 1919, her legs were insured for the then astounding amount of 500,000 francs.
She had a long relationship with the much younger Maurice Chevalier, but it was other more torrid love affairs that became legendary.
She first recorded her signature song "Mon Homme" in 1920. It was popularized under its English title "My Man" by Fanny Brice and has become a standard in the repertoire of numerous pop and jazz singers.
During a tour of the United States, she was asked by Time magazine to explain her popularity. Her answer was: "It is a kind of magnetism. I say 'Come closer' and draw them to me."