rance@cornell.UUCP (Rance Cleaveland) (10/22/85)
Sally Jesse Raphael (sp?) told me over the radio yesterday that in some poll conducted by someone of some Americans, Katherine Hepburn came out as the woman respected most by those responding to the poll. She then said how interesting this was in light of the fact that Ms. Hepburn never married and never had children and therefore led a very nontraditional life. According to Ms. Raphael respondents to the poll cited Ms. Hepburn's courage and uncom- promising integrity as the qualities they most admired about her. It makes you wonder what the definition of a "successful" and admirable woman is. I can't agree that traditionally women "had" to attract a man to be "successful"; Kate Hepburn certainly didn't, and I'm sure that a goodly number of "traditional" women and men answered the poll. That is, not only "feminists" voted for her; many holders of "traditional views" had to have as well.... Regards, Rance Cleaveland
chabot@miles.DEC (10/26/85)
> It makes you wonder what the definition of a "successful" and admirable > woman is. I can't agree that traditionally women "had" to attract a man > to be "successful"; Kate Hepburn certainly didn't, and I'm sure that a > goodly number of "traditional" women and men answered the poll. That is, > not only "feminists" voted for her; many holders of "traditional views" > had to have as well.... Uuuhhhhh: two points. First, traditionally women had not only to attract a man, but to keep him. (Yep, I know that having your wife run off wasn't considered very complimentary to a man, either; I can't weigh the relative importance of one side's woes over another.) Second, there is the wide-spread dirt about Hepburn and Tracy. It's probably the result of fans trying to carry the magic of those two on screen on and on, and imagining that they acted that way in real life. And combine that with envy and a lack of imagination about a professional relationship between Hepburn and Tracy and a lack of imagination about Hepburn being happy with a single life. What woman would! Poor dear, a tragic love affair--that we can understand. (The reason they couldn't marry was because he couldn't get a divorce for religious reasons.) Maybe many of us were unaware of this gossip, but I have reason to believe it was more widely whispered among people of my mother's generation, and I do know that in an interview of a year or so ago, the interviewer actually had the gall to ask Hepburn if the love affair gossip was true. Who cares! Hepburn had the class to talk vaguely about Tracy's acting style. I don't like besmirching people's reputations by spreading this nonsense, but I brought it up to point out that many people do think that Hepburn did attract a man, and so they may think she did conform to the traditional role closer. Or maybe they just had to think that.
slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (11/04/85)
>Sally Jesse Raphael (sp?) told me over the radio yesterday that in some >poll conducted by someone of some Americans, Katherine Hepburn came out as >the woman respected most by those responding to the poll. She then said >how interesting this was in light of the fact that Ms. Hepburn never married >and never had children and therefore led a very nontraditional life. > The poll was conducted by a women's magazine ("Ladies Home Journal" I think--but don't quote me.) Unfortunately, I remember looking at a reprint of the results and thinking that Ms. Hepburn didn't fit. All the other winners were extremely traditional--were mostly 1st ladies and starlets. Judging from where the poll was run it is doubtful that any men answered it, and it was probably mostly responded to by older women. Does anyone know the exact results and the demographics? Katherine Hepburn was married--for about 6 years, I think. She divorced her husband in Mexico. Her husband divorced her in the States a few years later. Did she have any children? I don't remember. -- Sue Brezden ihnp4!drutx!slb ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I march to the beat of a different drummer, whose identity, location, and musical ability are as yet unknown. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~