Honored Souls

Women honored as having lived exemplary lives by

Divinely Female

Any member may propose proclamation of a divine legend or honored soul. An honored soul is a real woman we offer as an example of a life well-lived, a woman of noble spirit and character. Any woman proposed as sainte must be dead for at least ten years. We make no pretenses that women thus honored were perfect; indeed, real people are never perfect. We do, however, wish to honor women with at least some traits we admire and wish to emulate.

HISTORICAL FIGURES

AUTHORS AND ENTERTAINERS

Emma Elizabeth Crouch [=Cora Pearl] -- b Devonshire, England; d Paris 1886.  Most famous courtesan of Victorian England. Original and inventive, she had guests at her parties guessing what crazy stunt she would pull next. She would, for example, sometimes be carried into the dining room on a platter along with the food, nude, covered with sauce. On other occasions, she would bathe in champagne in front of her guests. She had a plaster cast made of her breasts. Her goal was to become a famous celebrity, not uncommon for courtesans in Victorian England. She was, however, hampered by her thick lower-class accent. Whe later moved to Continental Europe but was expelled from Baden, Monte Carlo, Nice, Vichy, and Rome. Died poor.

Theodosia Goodman (stage name = Theda Bara; nickname = The Vamp) -- b 20 July 1890; d 7 April 1955.  Star of over 40 silent movies. She reached the peak of her fame about 1915, portraying Salome, Cleopatra, Juliet, and many other women. In many if not most of her roles, she portrayed a temtress luring hapiless men to their demises. Her best-remembered line is "Kiss me, my fool!" Her stage name is an acronym for "Arab Death;" she and her agent concocted a fictitious persona claiming Theda was born in the Sahara Desert and had magical powers giving her control over men. Her dressing room was adorned with skulls and other symbols of death. She was actually born in Cincinnati. Her popularity declined after World War I because of changing attitudes among the American public.

Although Theda's legacy may seem quaint and somewhat bizarre by today's standards, it must be taken in historical context. She was Hollywood's very first sex symbol, the first attempt by the movie industry to give sophisticated portrayals of female sensuality. Every female star in Hollywood since her day owes a debt to her groundbreaking efforts.

Freda Josephine McDonald [=Josephine Baker] -- b St. Louis, 3 June 1906; d Paris, 12 April 1975.  An African-American woman, she went to New York in 1923 in search of a career as a dancer. She had minimal success in the burlesque houses in Haarlem. Two years later, she moved to Paris, where she became a major sensation. She often sang nude or nearly nude; her most famous outfit was a skirt of fresh bananas. During World War II, she joined the French Resistance fighting Nazi occupation. Her song "J'ai deux amours, mon pais et Paris," i.e. "I have two loves, my country and Paris" was played repeatedly by the Free French forces as a symbol of friendship between France and the US. After the war, she was decorated for valor by the French government. In later years, she used her money to adopt many children from around the world and provide them a home in southern France.

Norma Jeane Mortenson (=Norma Jeane Baker = Marilyn Monroe) -- b Los Angeles, 1 June 1926; d 5 Aug 1962.  Norma Jeane to us is a martyr, a woman who used her beauty and charm to bring happiness to millions of people, yet died a tragic death herself. During World War II, she was a humble factory worker when a photographer noticed her good looks. She very quickly became first a model, then one of Hollywood's most famous and most glamorous movie stars. Throughout the 1950's, she was regarded as America's #1 sex symbol. She was Playboy's very first centerfold and wife of baseball star Joe DiMaggio. Rumors abound that she even had a physical relationship with the President of the United States. However, many of the men around her mistreated her, and she died of a drug overdose. We cherish her work and honor her memory, but deplore the mistreatment that led to her premature demise. We hope that she can become a symbol of abused women everywhere, that her legacy may help other women escape her fate.

Anais Nin -- b Neuilly, France, 21 Feb 1903; d Los Angeles, 14 Jan 1977. French author. Published many novels, many of them erotic. Her most erotic writings were her own personal diaries, detailing affairs with several people including simultaneous trysts with author Henry Miller and Miller's wife. Praised for her unique expression of femininty, but criticized by some as a narcissist.