June 25, 2009, - 2:11 pm
Farrah Fawcett, Classic American Beauty, RIP: Made 2nd Amendment Sexy (But Was Part of US Moral Decline)
By Debbie Schlussel
It’s sad to learn of the death of Farrah Fawcett from cancer.
As a kid, I was a fan of “Charlie’s Angels,” the TV show which–if you watch it now–doesn’t stand the test of time. Much was made of the “jiggle” that was part of the show, but that was more evident on sillier shows, like “Three’s Company.” And the three women detectives on the show were something of a new phenomenon for America: classic beauties with brains and guns, who were also sexy. They showed us that women with guns were cool and could protect themselves from the bad guys. They held guns, but didn’t act masculine or “kick butt.” They had class and style.
I played with Charlie’s Angels dolls, the Charlie’s Angels Van, and collected the trading cards and stickers. And I had the Farrah Fawcett doll and a Farrah Fawcett styling head–a large face with Farrah’s hair and features that you could style and make up with play cosmetics. I always insisted that, when I went for a haircut, the stylist styled my hair to look like the famous Farrah hairstyle of the ’70s, with long tousled curls and waves.
Although my favorite of the Charlie’s Angels was and still is Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett was a classic blonde American beauty from Texas whose looks were stunning and timeless.
Fawcett was kooky after “Charlie’s Angels,” which she left after a short stint–just one season. She did a perverted naked Playboy body-painting video, a bizarre interview with David Letterman, and chose to deliberately have a son out of wedlock, helping to set a disastrous trend (son Redmond O’Neill’s drug addictions and criminal behavior bear out the negative tendencies of kids born to single mothers). She left Lee Majors to live with Ryan O’Neill and helped make non-married live-in relationships fashionable.
But some would say that compared to the celebrities of today, her life was tame in comparison. And her illness and early death from cancer are sad and lamentable. It’s sad for me because I grew up on the Farrah Fawcett dolls and cards and posters.
I will always remember her for that classic beauty. And for the fact that, these days, you rarely see (non-police) women with guns–the “good guy” women–on broadcast TV series anymore.
As I looked through my “Charlie’s Angels” card collection in recent weeks, I note that all of the pictures of her are stunning and gorgeous. But the most beautiful ones–the sexiest–are the ones with her holding a gun. Yes, that’s one of Farrah Fawcett’s contributions–far more important than her famous sexy poster in a red bathing suit–to America: in a day and age when political correctness didn’t run television programming, Fawcett and her fellow Angels made it cool for women to enjoy and practice the Second Amendment.
Farrah Fawcett, Rest In Peace.
“And for the fact that, these days, you rarely see women with guns–the “good guy” women–on broadcast TV series anymore.”
I like Farrah too. Good post, she will me missed. I disagree with your statement, above, however Debbie:
Emily Proctor – CSI Miami
Marg Helgenberger – CSI
Mariska Hargity – Law and Order SVU
Poppy Montgomery – Without a Trace
Teresa Lisbon – The Mentalist
Cote de Pablo – NCIS
and that list took about a minute to come up with – I’m sure there are many more examples.
[R: YOU’RE RIGHT. BUT THOSE ARE ALL POLICE WOMEN, AND I MEANT, BUT DIDN’T CLEARLY SAY, NON-POLICE. CHARLIE’S ANGELS WERE PRIVATE DETECTIVES, SO I’LL HAVE TO CHANGE THAT. IT’S WHAT I MEANT AND WILL CLARIFY. THANKS. DS]
Richard on June 25, 2009 at 3:38 pm