ALL PHOTOS ARE AI AND THE RESEARCH TOO.

INTRO

Mae West was one of the most polarizing, brilliant, and fiercely independent self-made women in Hollywood history. Long before modern pop stars preached female empowerment, she was writing her own scripts, managing her own money, and choosing her own lovers on her own terms.

Here is the ultimate look at the woman who famously declared, "I used to be Snow White, but I drifted."

Backstory

Born Mary Jane West in Brooklyn, New York, in 1893, she was the daughter of a prizefighter ("Battling Jack" West) and a fashion model. Her mother fiercely encouraged her independence. Mae dropped out of school early to join the vaudeville circuit, working her way up from child performer to Broadway sensation, and finally to Hollywood megastar at age 38—an age when most actresses of that era were considered retired.

Vitals

Mae West built her entire brand around an unapologetically voluptuous, hourglass silhouette, resisting Hollywood's push for thinness.

Attribute Profile & Data

Height 5' 0" (She wore 8-inch platform heels hidden under her gowns to look taller)

Weight 115 to 130 lbs. (Fluctuated over her long career)

Measurements 36D - 24 - 38 (The literal inspiration for the WWII inflatable "Mae West" life jacket)

Body Type Ultra-hourglass, petite, hyper-feminine

Looks Platinum blonde hair, bedroom eyes, pale complexion, and a trademark sultry smirk

Age Lived to be 87 years old (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980)