These days, we're more likely to associate the term "diva" with Perez Hilton or the bug-eyed line of Bratz Dolls than we are with old school Hollywood glamour. Though the term has gotten a bad rap over the years (think outrageous backstage demands, i.e. 10 sugar-free organic fruit pies from Wisconsin or countless cases of Kabbalah water), the ladies listed below exemplify what a diva should be: alluring, sophisticated, and wickedly free-spirited.
Katherine Hepburn
(1907-2003)
A non-conformist from the start, Katherine was raised to speak her mind by her ultra-liberal family. She was decidedly anti-Hollywood, often refusing to wear make-up, dresses, or buy into the bleached blonde stereotype that was dominant at the time. Despite all of this, she holds the record for most Oscars for Best Actress and won an Emmy for Love Among the Ruins.
Check Out: Bringing Up Baby, in which Katherine plays a zany socialite with a pet leopard.
Mae West
(1893-1980)
Known for her bawdy humor and double entendres, Mae was one of the earliest advocates of gay and transgender rights. This often found her at odds with the law, and in 1927 she was sentenced to a 10-day jail sentence for her Broadway play, "Sex." She is also credited for discovering Cary Grant, whom she plucked off the street to star with her in She Done Him Wrong.
Check Out: She Done Him Wrong, in which West plays a singer and nightclub owner, but isn't the most faithful of dames.
Katherine Hepburn(1907-2003)
A non-conformist from the start, Katherine was raised to speak her mind by her ultra-liberal family. She was decidedly anti-Hollywood, often refusing to wear make-up, dresses, or buy into the bleached blonde stereotype that was dominant at the time. Despite all of this, she holds the record for most Oscars for Best Actress and won an Emmy for Love Among the Ruins.
Check Out: Bringing Up Baby, in which Katherine plays a zany socialite with a pet leopard.
Mae West(1893-1980)
Known for her bawdy humor and double entendres, Mae was one of the earliest advocates of gay and transgender rights. This often found her at odds with the law, and in 1927 she was sentenced to a 10-day jail sentence for her Broadway play, "Sex." She is also credited for discovering Cary Grant, whom she plucked off the street to star with her in She Done Him Wrong.
Check Out: She Done Him Wrong, in which West plays a singer and nightclub owner, but isn't the most faithful of dames.
