What does the phrase "Let them eat cake mean," and why was it so popular.[

Marie Antoinette was the queen of France from 1774-1793. But she did NOT say "Let them eat cake" even though the saying is attributed to her. This flippant phrase about consuming pastry is commonly attributed to the frivolous queen in the days leading up to the French Revolution. Supposedly, she spoke these words upon hearing how the peasantry had no bread to eat. But biographers and historians have found no evidence that Marie uttered these words or anything like them.