On Screen Sirens

HOLLYWOOD - Greta Garbo. Brigitte Bardot. Both actresses who made their marks in very big ways; mostly, I suspect, in the hearts of their male fans. Without question, they were women of strength, talent and enviable beauty. Brigitte was unabashed in the way she voiced her opinions, her sexuality and her everyday life. Greta was rumored to be a spy during WWII, and had even suggested that she shoot Hilter (who, by the way, wrote her fan letters). Women wanted to look like them, think like them and (secretly, I’m sure) act like them. Men just wanted to be in their presence.

I don’t know that their acting talents ever got in the way of their lives, interestingly enough. It seems to be a side item to everything else they had going on, they were just absolutely driven and seemed to have a great time doing the driving. Greta played tennis with Errol Flynn; Brigitte posed for Playboy after she turned 40. I don’t think many women can say they did either of those things. While they may not have won a Nobel Prize or started world-changing foundations, they do have something in common that speaks to hidden strengths. And might show that some of us have more in common with these dynamos then you might think.

They both had breast cancer.