Mae West: Unapologetic Sex Symbol

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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
~ Mae West (1893-1980)

Mae West was an actress, writer, and unapologetic sex symbol. She enchanted the American stage with unabashed humor and demand for social change. She dominated every facet of performing arts for eight decades, from vaudeville to Broadway, Hollywood to the Vegas Strip. Mae West left an indelible legacy on this nation’s history and carried a torch for sex workers.

Mae West’s Early Life & Broadway Debut

Born Mary Jane West in 1893, she was the eldest of three children born to John and Matilda West in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was a well-known prize fighter and later private investigator called “Battling Jack.” Her mother was a Bavarian immigrant who provided her eldest and favorite child with singing and dancing lessons as soon as Mae could walk and sing.

Mae West made her vaudeville debut as early as age seven. She began singing and tap dancing at the Brooklyn Elk’s Club, and by age nine, she debuted at the Brooklyn Royal Theater as “Baby Mae,” with her rendition of the song, “Movin Day.” Legend has it that Baby Mae demanded a spotlight on her performance, and she got it. The audience reportedly roared with applause for her number. Mae West spent her teenage years performing for a Brooklyn stock company, and at age 18, she stepped onto Broadway. In 1918, she stole the show in Sometime – a Broadway revue – with an African American dance known as the “Shimmy.” Her style of dance and song was undoubtedly influenced by Black vaudeville performers such as Bert Williams. Historian Jill watts argues that Mae West always gave credit to and acknowledged Black culture and its influence on her work.

In 1911, she married Frank Wallace, and the union was short-lived, but her partnership with the stage was taking off. Her mother remained her biggest fan and encouraged her to write her plays. In 1926, Mae’s first and perhaps most controversial play, Sex, debuted at Daly’s Theatre in Manhattan. Mae West starred in her show as Margy LaMont, a sex worker who unapologetically wanted more in life. Newspapers refused to promote the show, but each performance – more than 300 shows – sold out. The play’s success raged on until the moral reformers waged war on Sex and Mae West. In 1927, she was arrested on charges of moral corruption and sentenced to 10 days in jail. Mae West only served eight days and, upon release, began working on her second play, The Drag, which centered on ballroom culture in New York City. Her third play, Pleasure Man, led to her second moral corruption arrest, but this time she was acquitted. Her fourth play Diamond Lil exploded – wholly financed by the sale of her diamond collection – and went on a national tour. Mae West was now ready for the silver screen, and in the 1930s, Hollywood called.

Mae West Takes Hollywood

In 1932, she starred Night After Night for a weekly salary of $5000. Paramount studios purchased Diamond Lil, forcing them to change the film’s title to She Done Him Wrong. Mae West remained unbothered because she snagged her leading man for the film Cary Grant, and it remains the shortest film ever nominated for an Oscar.

Mae West remained on stage and in the public eye fighting against censorship and for women’s rights for the next fifty years. Her final film, Sextette, featured stars such as Alice Cooper and Ringo Starr, which received poor reviews, but served as her last battle in a long war against censorship in media and sexuality.

Mae West’s Death

Mae West continued turning heads until she died in 1980. She is buried in her family mausoleum in Brooklyn Forest Lawn Cemetery.