Mae West: Sensual Embrace

MAE WEST’s plump, curvaceous body was a vital element in her comedy. Academics have emphasized that “excessive body is one of the qualities of female unruliness, suggesting that she is unwilling or unable to control her physical appetites.” Japanese film historian Mio Hatokai discusses how Hollywood publicists and fan zines responded to this “fatness” in 1933. This is Part 8 of a lengthy piece.
• • Laughing off the “Fatness” ― Mae West’s Body Image and Female Spectators in the Early 1930s • •
• • Mae West: Importance of her physical self, her curvy body • •   
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: Marybeth Hamilton also focuses on the importance of Mae West’s body image: The heaviness of that body, clad in short and flimsy modern attire, was particularly crucial.
• • when a boyish silhouette defined “respectable sexuality” • •

• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In the 1920s, when a boyish silhouette defined respectable sexuality, a thick-set body like West’s brought seamy and distinctly lower-class associations to mind: above all, burlesque actresses, who were widely equated with prostitutes and whose overblown -gestures reputedly signalled an aggressive embrace of sensual passion.
• • Mio Hatokai wrote: In summary, without a sense of irony or parody, in “Sex,” Mae West’s body had negative connotations of “seamy and distinctly lower-class associations.”
• • Mae West: Sexuality veiled in irony • • ...  
• • Mio Hatokai’s lengthy article will continue on the next post.
• • Source: Academic anthology on film stars released by Waseda University, 2015.
• • On Sunday, 28 October 1934 • •
• • "Mae West Philosophy" • •
• • This is Mae West's philosophy: "I'm a tonic to tired housewives. My style of vamping makes the women rest easy. I, myself, hate those slinky dames."
• • "I'm a regular Voltaire when it comes to satire, honey!" • •
• • "Honey," Mae West said, sitting down and speaking earnestly, "It's like this. The women don't razz me because I don't make 'em jealous. The only censorship directed at me comes from men because intelligent men resent my satire. In one way I'm a regular Voltaire when it comes to satire, honey, because I show that bigshot guys with a lot of dough and tailcoats and culture will fall like shooting gallery ducks for a lady lion tamer or any Madame Honky Tonk that gets a range on them. Once in a while that burns up an intelligent man because it makes him feel inferior." ...
• • Source: The Straits Times (Singapore); published on Sunday, 28 October 1934.
• • Overheard in Hollywood • •

• • Mae West's curvaceous charms caught newspaper readers off guard during October 1933.
• • Paramount Pictures ran sexy ads for “I’m No Angel” showing their newest movie star, Mae West, cupping her hands under her breasts in motion picture advertisements. No angel indeed!
• • In Her Own Words • •
• • Mae West said: "I cut down on physical sex when I'm writing or plotting a play."
• • Quote, Unquote • •
• • Box Office mentioned Mae West.
• • Indianapolis — First-run motion picture houses encountered strong competition, with Mae West doing four shows at English’s Theatre, and packing them in on every occasion.  
• • All flesh houses have closed for the summertime and now the movies will have everything to themselves for a time at least, or until night baseball begins. ...
• • Source: Box Office; published on Saturday, 2 June 1945
• • The evolution of 2 Mae West plays that keep her memory alive • •
• • A discussion with Mae West playwright LindaAnn LoSchiavo — —
• • http://lideamagazine.com/renaissance-woman-new-york-city-interview-lindaann-loschiavo/
• • The Mae West Blog celebrates its 17th anniversary • • 
• • Thank you for reading, sending questions, and posting comments during these past seventeen years. Not long ago, we entertained 3,497 visitors. And we reached a milestone recently when we completed 4,800 blog posts. Wow! 
• • By the Numbers • •
• • The Mae West Blog was started fifteen years ago in July 2004. You are reading the 4,853rd blog post. Unlike many blogs, which draw upon reprinted content from a newspaper or a magazine and/ or summaries, links, or photos, the mainstay of this blog is its fresh material focused on the life and career of Mae West, herself an American original.

• • Come up and see Mae every day online: http://MaeWest.blogspot.com/
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• • Photo: • • Mae West • • as Margy LaMont in "Sex" • •
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