Mae West (1893-1980) was an American screen legend and erotic icon famous for her voluptuous figure, sexy innuendos, and irrepressible wit. Highly controversial and sex symbol of the early 20^th century.

A free thinking and independent woman far ahead of her time, West expressed herself boldly, both sexually and creatively. She famously surrounded herself with handsome muscle men, both onscreen and off, and accrued a long list of famous and powerful lovers. Notably, West was one of the first female American playwrights, and actresses, to demand and receive creative control over her work. West’s creative expression encompassed nearly every facet of the entertainment spectrum including theatre and screenwriting, film, radio, television, and audio recording. And with a career spanning some 80+ years, she holds the further distinction of having performed both vaudeville and rock and roll. As a cultural icon she is immortalized by imitators, biographers, and even an assortment of snacks and devices bearing her name. Her trademark phrases have been translated into numerous languages, including Mandarin, Mongolian, Norwegian, and Lithuanian

Arising from this milieu of adversity, Mae learned early on that her unusual talent and good looks were an advantage that just might leverage her into a better life — if she played it smart. Encouraged by her mother, she used her sexuality to build alliances with, or dominate, nearly every man who crossed her path. And she learned to view marriage as a double edged institution – one that offered legal protection and social acceptance, but which robbed women of their independence and sexual freedom. According to most sources she took refuge in marriage just once, with fellow actor and lover Frank Wallace. When she tired of Wallace, and discovered she was not pregnant as feared, she ended the relationship. She neglected to file for divorce however, and Wallace showed up years later, in 1937, with marriage certificate in hand to receive a share of West’s ample earnings. She may have been simultaneously married to musician Guido Deiro, divorcing him in 1920. West allegedly used the alias Catherine Mae Belle West when marrying Deiro to avoid bigamy charges.

Her first major run in with censorship laws came in 1926 when she was jailed for the play Sex. West was sentenced to 10 days in jail on obscenity charges. However she allegedly received star treatment in prison, dining each night with the warden and getting two days off for good behavior. Despite this fact she was sympathetic to those less fortunate, and upon her release she penned an article about the women she had met behind bars. Putting her money where her mouth was, she also made a donation on their behalf to fund a prison library.

Like the historic Catherine, West’s identity as a sexual titan who seemed untarnished by age. West still demanded daily sex well into her 60s and held onto a girlish figure through an assortment of eccentric practices. According to West, she avoided sunlight to preserve her skin, massaged her breasts for two hours a day with cold cream to keep them firm, had her men massage warm baby oil into her skin to keep it soft, and began each day with an enema to rid her body of toxins and keep her skin silky smooth…

She died on November 22, 1980 from stroke related complications.

Mae West quotes:
“When I’m good, I’m very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better.”
“I used to be Snow White… but I drifted” 
“I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it.”
“Is that a pistol in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me”
“It isn’t what I do, but how I do it”
“I can resist anything but temptation”
“Give a man a free hand and he’ll try to put it all over you”
“I see you’re a man with ideals. I guess I better be going while you’ve still got them.”
“A man has one hundred dollars and you leave him with two dollars, that’s subtraction.”
“It’s not the men in my life that counts; it’s the life in my men.”
“When women go wrong, men go right after them.”
“A man in love is like a clipped coupon–it’s time to cash in.”
“A man’s kiss is his signature.”
“When a girl goes wrong, men go right after her.”
“I feel like a million tonight. But one at a time.” 

Ella