From Frida Kahlo and Elizabeth Taylor to Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher, and Lena Dunham, this witty narrative explores what we can learn from the imperfect and extraordinary legacies of 29 iconic women who forged their own unique paths in the world. Smart, sassy, and unapologetically feminine, this elegantly illustrated book is an ode to the…
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Betty Ford: Velvet Hammer
Difficult Woman N°14 Betty Ford 1918-2011 Who: First Lady of the United States. Founder and Chairperson of the Betty Ford Center. Classically trained dancer. Cancer survivor. Unwittingly contributed a lot of fodder for stand-ups. (Example: “I used to be a bartender at the Betty Ford Clinic” — Steven Wright) Signature Difficult Moves: Despite being…
Hedy Lamarr: Outside of the Box Thinker
Difficult Woman N° 13 Hedy Lamarr (1914 – 2000) Who: Actress, inventor, legendary beauty. Collaborative inventor of a radio guidance system utilized used during World War II, later the basis for wireless communication technology. (That cell phone you’re reading this on? Thank Hedy!) In 1997, first female recipient of the BULBIE™ Gnass Spirit of…
Maya Deren: Mercurial
Difficult Woman N° 12 Maya Deren (1917 – 1961) Who: Mother of Independent Cinema, wearer of many creative hats: Avant-Garde Filmmaker. Choreographer. Dancer. Writer. Photographer. Taurus, moon in Leo. Signature difficult moves: Said screw it to all cinematic conventions of the time. Her ground-breaking, experimental films utilized slow-motion, jump cuts, superimposition, and multiple exposures to…
Anne Brontë: Emperor’s New Clothes Pointer-Outter
Difficult Woman N° 11 Anne Brontë 1820 – 1849 Who: Novelist. Poet. Governess. Youngest member of the literary Brontë family. Signature difficult moves: In her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the female protagonist is living not only outside conventional Victorian society, but also outside the law. By running away from her husband…