Saturday, June 27, 2009

the role of a lifetime

A few hours before the death of Michael Jackson was announced, Farrah Fawcett succumbed to cancer. While Jackson’s death was a surprise, hers was not.

I’m trying to figure out why Farrah Fawcett is “important” to remember. It seems her body of work was, well, her body of work.

377744328_7241c21961_o She was the last of the pin up girls. Never really thought of as overly talented, her slightly tousled locks, perfectly straightened teeth and beauty queen body adorned THE poster in almost every teenage boys bedroom in the 1970’s.

Early on, she recognized her role in Charlie’s Angels to be about the poster image, women in tight fitting clothing and high heels fighting crime, a sort of soft core reason for boys to watch TV. She wanted more.

But, more never really happened for Farrah. She spent the last 30 years of her life trying to find meaningful work. And, to some degree, she did. But, nobody noticed, until her final role.

Toward the end, she took her battle with cancer to a very public place - TV. For a very uncomfortable hour, she, her friends, and family described the grueling process of the fight against this monster, and her will to live.

Her dignity was never soiled as she went through the agony of pain, small victories and real life moments. Her emotions, and the emotions of those around her, were real and raw. It was humbling and courageous at the same time. This was important.

It seems in her death, Farrah found the role of a lifetime. Bravo! Farrah.

3 comments:

  1. I wish I had the chance to meet her

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  2. Ahhh, the famous 1970 Swimsuit Poster that sold more than 8,000,000 copies in an era well before Cosmetic or Breast Augmentation surgery, Botox or Collagen injections and Lipo Suction procedures.

    (I recall it well, as my son who was only five at the time had it hanging in his bedroom for many years. He idolized Farrah.)

    Regardless that there are those who will never consider her as an acclaimed Actress; I would like to think that her final image(s) she shared with the world proved just how 'genuine' she really was.
    -Brenda-

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  3. I was always a fan and there was more there than met the eye. Thank you for sharing your work and life with us.

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