It's Terrible The Things I Have to Do To Be Me - On Femininity and Fame

'That was the first time I'd broken free of something. That's where a wild woman was born. I felt like it was kind of a gateway to another world. Now I was going to take the power of my sexuality back. And I did-in a really big way' Pamela Anderson, on posing nude for Playboy for the first timeFrom the Golden Age of Hollywood to the age of TikTok, famous women have always created an idea of themselves that they can sell.
It's Terrible The Things I Have to Do to be Me will explore this idea through seven essays about duos of famous women whose personas and professional stories make interesting mirrors for each other - even if the mirror in question is the funhouse kind. From doomed, ultra-sensual blondes with Mommy issues (Marilyn Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith), to quite literally self-made women whose embodiment of beauty standards lay them bare to sabotage and scandal (Pamela Anderson and Caroline "Tula" Cossey), the lives and stories of these stars are particular, and in some cases contain bizarre and outlandish details, but the reflections they lead us to are universal, enlightening and relevant.