One chick who lived life on her terms
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rahrah14 — 10 years ago(April 04, 2016 01:48 PM)
She lived her life and did things her way and didn't care what people thought.
I have never quite understood this as a virtue. Yes it is admirable as far as not being ashamed of one's sexuality or whatever, but when "not caring" involves hurting other people (such as the women whose husbands she had affairs with), I personally don't see that as something to commend. It is also the man's fault but the blame goes both ways.
Some call it admirable, I call it selfish.
Sweet merciful crap!
It's just tea! sips Needs more gin. -
Naberrie218 — 10 years ago(April 04, 2016 06:05 PM)
I understand what you're saying. And you are right. Believe me, I don't admire a philandering woman any more than I would a playboy womanizing man. What I admire about Ava is that she didn't liv2000e by what was expected of hershe dared to be someone not boxed in by society's expectations (I am not talking about her sex life at all, I'm just talking about how she seemed to be in general, in her persona, and how she was an independent woman who defied social mores of the time, such as how she had black friends and openly showed it). As for the promiscuity, the affairs, etc, it seems that at the time in Hollywood it was hard to find a man or a woman who was faithful and not sleeping around and having flings. There are some, no doubt about it, but what I am saying is that it is a bit unfair that women like Turner and Gardner get called names when men like Gable, Bogart, Sinatra, etc, were doing the same thing.
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rahrah14 — 10 years ago(April 05, 2016 06:41 AM)
I agree with you about the double standard. It's not fair at all that the men who were having affairs are not labeled as anything other than typical men while the women are called sluts or worse. It takes two, as they say. And I can appreciate that she did not "go Hollywood." She stayed, at heart, the same as she was right from the beginning. I just have trouble with some of the things I've read about her behavior. But everyone has their faults; I don't know why hers bother me more than some others, that's just my hang-up.
Sweet merciful crap!
It's just tea! sips Needs more gin. -
Naberrie218 — 9 years ago(April 12, 2016 03:12 PM)
She was the female Clark Gable, desired by the other sex, they flocked to her and couldn't get enough, and soon after arriving in Hollywood, she became quite the philanderer. I've read the Lee Server biography, very detailed and comprehensive on her life and character. One thing about her is how she felt about her sexuality, and how her sexuality was seen by people. With her it was clear that she was the sex subject, not the sex object. It definitely goes against the grain of the role of a woman in a patriarchal society. Garnder was a sex symbol that was just like a male sex symbol. Her sexuality was seen as dominant, while with others women of the day, namely Marilyn Monroe, was objectified, and had her sexuality seen as the dumb and submissive object (which is sad, because I believe Marilyn was a smart lady but was completely taken advantage of and destroyed by the industry). One thing that Gardner and Monroe had in common though, was how they felt about themselves. Both women were deeply insecure about their looks and talent, yet at the same time, they enjoyed their celebrity and knew that they were beautifulvery contradictory.
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LiteraryLegend — 9 years ago(May 20, 2016 02:49 PM)
"I don't admire a philandering woman any more than I would a playboy womanizing man"
I do. It takes more guts for a woman to do it. Especially back then. The press destroyed her for doing the same thing men have done for centuries.
Actors are useless without the power of a good writer's imagination -
denis-38 — 9 years ago(April 26, 2016 05:43 PM)
I agree that Ava lived her life as she saw fit, for better or worse. She was fabulous. But, Ava was a
star,
not a starlet. Starlet is the word for a young woman who has YET to achieve stardom, but is working in films and being publicized. Ava went from starlet to star when "The Killers" was released in 1946. Although it would still take a few years for that stardom to be fully cemented.
I don't know how the word became so twisted around in recent years. As for Elizabeth Taylor, she was never even a starlet. She was a child star who moved effortlessly to mature roles. -
CarolJhosson2000 — 9 years ago(June 25, 2016 09:06 PM)
She lived a life based on alcohol above everything else. More than Sinatra, Bogart, Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton et al. IMHO
The alcohol was always there from morning to night, by several (to not say all) accounts. Including when she was working on movies. Which caused issues with co-stars and the making of movie.
The alcohol also was the driving force behind her most outrageous behavior. Causing troubles as in her personal as professional lives.
I'm not saying this as criticism but an sad observation. She had lots of opportunities in her favor and let them go, and sadly her insecurity, low esteem, shyness, personal problems/unhappiness drove her to alcohol (as a coping mechanism).
I love the Peter Evans book, probably the most hysterically funny boo5b4k that I ever read. The prologue is hilarious, she complaining about Sinatra and then asking Evans to help her to kill herself. LOL. Admitting her unhappiness and as she messed up her life. -
metalman09
5b4
1 — 9 years ago(July 31, 2016 09:42 PM)If you call peeing in a vestibule, being barred from bars and restaurants, losing friends and treating lovers cruelly, then Ava Gardner lived life by her own terms. You can live by your own terms without hurting anyone, but Gardner wasn't one of those people. Even Robert Mitchum avoided her.
To my misfortune I just got out of a relationship with a B grade and blonde Ava Gardner. Reading Lee Server's book I recognized several similarties between the woman I was with and Gardner. What I did finally understand was that for all their toughness and "I don't need anyone" attitude, they were both jealous and insecure. I used to feel about this girl the way Sinatra felt about Ga1c84rdner. That is until last night when we reconciled as friends. The allure is no longer there. I now found her to be ordinary [in looks and personality], dull, boring, and angry. The charm and charisma that was once so unique doesn't exist anymore.
Gardner had a lot of great qualities; she was loving, generous, funny, but she was a Jekyll and Hyde personality [like my girl]. I admire her as an actress, and I'm not judging her as a human being, I'm just being honest [that's a phrase I hate and thought I wouldn't say/type].