Mae West
Buoyant chest garment
Mae West was an American actress, singer, and playwright known for her bawdy humor and sexual innuendo in the early twentieth century.
Her name became slang for an inflatable life jacket—the bulky vest, when worn, suggested her famously ample bust.
The term saw wide use among military personnel in World War II: Grab your Mae West before boarding the aircraft.
Theatrical variety entertainment
- burlesqueExaggerated mockery or risqué variety
- comedienneFemale humor performer
- entertainerOne who amuses others
- HollywoodAmerican film industry center
screenwriter · playwright · Paramount · sex symbol · leading lady · one-liners · innuendo · double entendre
Boldly irreverent in manner
- wittyCleverly humorous
- brazenShamelessly bold
- boldCourageous and daring
- provocativeMeant to provoke response
flirtatious · confident · unapologetic · irreverent · feisty · audacious · campy · larger-than-life
First to forge ahead
- feministGender equality proponent
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
- legendaryFamous beyond ordinary measure
- influentialHaving considerable effect
timeless · Golden Age · classic · provocateur · taboo-breaker · sexual liberation · independent · self-made
vaudeville
Theatrical variety entertainment
- burlesqueExaggerated mockery or risqué variety
- comedienneFemale humor performer
- entertainerOne who amuses others
Hollywood · screenwriter · playwright · Paramount · sex symbol · leading lady · one-liners · innuendo · double entendre · shimmy
sassy
Boldly irreverent in manner
provocative · flirtatious · confident · unapologetic · irreverent · feisty · audacious · campy · larger-than-life · bombshell
trailblazer
First to forge ahead
- feministGender equality proponent
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
- legendaryFamous beyond ordinary measure
influential · timeless · Golden Age · classic · provocateur · taboo-breaker · sexual liberation · independent · self-made · empowered
inflatable
Expandable by air
aviator · buoyant · military · survival · nickname · busty · silhouette · vest · equipment · safety
- 1930sNew Deal, Hitler, Nazi Germany, Great Depression, appeasement
- Airborne Forcesparatrooper, airborne, parachute drop, drop zone, static line
- flotation deviceslife jacket, life vest, life preserver, PFD, personal flotation device
- Playwright-ActorsLin-Manuel Miranda
- Pre-Code HollywoodNight Nurse, 42nd Street, Scarface, Little Caesar, The Public Enemy
- Screen SirensMarilyn Monroe, Jean Harlow, Brigitte Bardot, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner
Mae WestMary Pickford
Doris Day · Shirley Temple · Pat Nixon · Queen Victoria · nun