Icon of the Week: Evelyn Nesbit
My icons always seem to come to me unwittingly.
This morning, my friend Erin emailed me and asked me if I had thought of giving Evelyn Nesbit the honor. Strangely enough, my friend Shannan had just sent me some new pages from her book. In them, she describes her main character as having a kind of Victorian beauty.
It’s almost impossible to think the words “Victorian Beauty” without Evelyn Nesbit coming to mind.
Evelyn Nesbit was the first modern media star. Born in 1884, she became famous for her beauty just at the advent of the daily newspaper. At her height, she was Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears all rolled into one.
Only without the drug abuse and the anorexia and the worn-leather look.
Goddamn, isn’t she a peach?
After I write this post, I’m going to put on the silk robe I bought in Thailand, drag out the fake fur rug I bought at IKEA, and assume this pose for the rest of the week. Come rouse me if you dare, but be warned that I will ward you off with my languor and my softly coiffed hair.
For you, Evelyn. For gracing the front pages of the dailies with your love affairs and your exploits and your soft white shoulders. For working the media, for the soft gaze of an instant camera. For being featured in E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime. For all things Victorian, which I covet, for sitting in parlors and baring your legs for love, Evelyn Nesbit, you’re my Icon of the Week.
