05 . Mae West . Mae West is a badass. She’s a native New Yorker like myself, and shamelessly brought sex back into entertainment. Her first major starring role on Broadway, in the play Sex which she wrote herself, lead to her arrest for “corrupting the morals of youth.” But instead of losing her cool, West calmly served her time (8 days) and told reporters that she wore silk underpants the whole time.
Her raunchy comedy, including her famous line, “Come up and See me Sometime”, made its way to the big screen in major motion pictures. But her success even there wasn’t easy – throughout her career, West fought the Hays Code set in place at the time to censor motion pictures and was all too often told to change major parts of the script or even the title of the movie to appease censors. But throughout it all, West kept her cool and was confident in herself and her sexuality.
A Few Choice Mae West Quotes
“A man can be short and dumpy and getting bald but if he has fire, women will like him.”
“I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.”
“When I’m good I’m very, very good, but when I’m bad, I’m better.”
“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
“Is that a banana in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?”
“Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache.”
“Love thy neighbor — and if he happens to be tall, debonair and devastating, it will be that much easier.”
“Every man I meet wants to protect me. I can’t figure out what from.”
