Mae West: Dirty Blonde

The film "Sextette," which Mae West made when she was in her 80's, was actually a "radical power move," according to comedian Natasha Lyonne. It demonstrated West's supreme confidence as a woman trying to defy the taboo against sexual older women. At the same time, it showed that the persona Mae West created in the 30's was so original that it could endure into the 1970's and beyond.

The silent film era ended with the birth of the "talkie" not long before Mae West become a Hollywood star. While audiences were enthralled by West's powerful and confident sexuality, the main way she expressed it was with language. ("Any chorus girl in any Warner Bros. movie in the 1930's showed more flesh.")

Mae West didn’t keep up with the latest fashions. Her persona, with the exaggerated hourglass figure and luxurious clothing, was inspired from trends in the 1890’s. It’s perhaps because of this outdated style that she was allowed to get away with saying so many sexually suggestive things.

Madonna, Mariah Carey, Lena Dunham and other women entertainers have followed in Mae West's footsteps in various ways, including breaking taboos about sexuality. Madonna in particular, with her book called "Sex," may have been paying direct homage to West.

The Mae West film "She Done Him Wrong" was credited with helping to bring Paramount Pictures out of bankruptcy. It also helped make her a star in Hollywood and gave her the opportunity to turn a childhood dream -- involving very large cats -- into a reality.