I feel like because I am curvy, I have to be sexy. If I am not sexy, then I am just fat. Society has very distinct images of what is sexy. They even photo shop already thin actresses to set unrealistic expectations for women. But there is an exception to that stereotype - the bombshell.
When you hear the word bombshell, you probably think of classic beauties like Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and Elizabeth Taylor. If you were to google the term you would be directed to also: pin-up girl, sex symbol, super model, blonde stereotype. Hollywood bombshells of 1940s -1960s were recognized for their hourglass figures, their large breasts, sex appeal, and originally their blondness.
The bombshells of today like Kate Upton, Sofia Vergara, and Christina Hendricks are beautiful, curvy women. They epitomize the busty, sassy idea that the bombshell has become. The question is, what makes an average girl a bombshell? Is it boobs and an ass? Is there a certain demeanor needed? What is the factor that makes a women a bombshell because she is curvy, instead of just being overweight and invisible?
I asked some men what they thought a bombshell was. One said, “Someone who is genuinely beautiful, both inside and out, and has the personality to match. Also, is someone everyone wants.” Another gentleman described a bombshell as, “someone who turns heads, lights up a room, and is usually a smart ass. Oh, and has big boobs.” I have to say I was a little surprised that the men that I talked to thought that attitude was just as essential to being a bombshell. In the end they both referenced sex appeal as well, but it is obvious that to men a bombshell has oomph both in her bra and her personality.
To be a bombshell is to be sexy. But there is a dilemma, to be overly sexy is to be undateable. As a curvy woman, you have to decide - would you rather be sexy and wanted, even if it is just in bed, or be considered undesirable? Society overly sexualizes what it means to be born with breasts and hips. Victoria’s Secret even has a bra named the Bombshel,l which adds 2 cup sizes to your shape.
Marilyn Monroe once answered a question about being a sex symbol by saying, "A sex symbol becomes a thing, I just hate being a thing. But if I’m going to be a symbol of something, I’d rather it sex than some other things we’ve got symbols of.” You become a thing that people want to use and discard, an experience they must have. When you lead with sex, which is what bombshells tend to do, you eliminate the image of the girl underneath, the one who, above all, just wants to be loved. A symbol doesn’t have emotions, but a bombshell isn’t a symbol, she is a woman.
Am I a bombshell? Do I even what to be? I have been trying to write about the modern day bombshell and my feelings about it for over a year. I guess it is hard for me to cope with my only viable options. Wrapping my head around the idea of the bombshell, the fine line between a bombshell and a fat girl. You either embrace the bombshell, or you embrace being invisible. I was never meant to be invisible.
So, I hide behind the fake confidence of red lipstick and sky high heels and sway my hips when I walk because that is what bombshells do. I smile, bat my eyelashes, and say flirty things. I pretend like things don’t hurt me, because a bombshell is carefree. Sometimes I wonder, am I being who I want to be or am I being who I think I should be?
As a bombshell, will I ever get the guy? What is the saying? You marry a Jackie and you fuck a Marilyn. When does one stop being a bombshell? When they are all used up and the light has left their eyes? Who will want them then? Who will want me?
“Being a sex symbol is a heavy load to carry, especially when one is tired, hurt, and bewildered.” - Marilyn Monroe
