The next name of my t-shirt is little more than a name to me. I think there might be some glamour, some exotic glamour about her. I recall that long ago in my youth people would say "Who does she think she is - Carmen Miranda?" as a less then complimentary critique of a rather inappropriately overdressed woman.
She's been dead fifty years; see I didn't even know that. For all I know she might just be slightly elderly living out a graceful retirement with cats, in the Hollywood Hills. But despite being dead fifty years, she has her own official website
But what did she do? According to Wikipedia she was a Portuguese-Brazilian samba singer and motion picture star most active in the 1940s. In 1945 she was the highest-paid woman in the United States, bar none, earning more than $200,000 that year, according to IRS records.
There is a mention of towering headdresses made of fruit, becoming famous as "the lady in the tutti-frutti hat. This comes as no surprise to me, so maybe I have a long-buried memory of seeing something about her in fruit-decked millinery.
She did not drink or smoke until her late 30s. In addition to her addiction to alcohol and tobacco, she regularly used amphetamines and barbiturates, all of which weakened her heart (nothing like starting late to ensure an absolute addiction).
I don't think I've ever seen any films by her. And I can't honestly say that she has had any impact on my life. It's not much point being a legend if people don't know anything about you. By people, I mean me, the ultimate arbiter of what matters.
What I also find out via teh internets is
The most common stereotype of the Hispanic woman can be defined in to two categories: the virginal señorita and the loose Latin spitfire. It is easy to recognize these stereotypes, because we have "internalized all of those Carmen Mirandas, Chiquita Bananas, and Charo 'cuchi cuchis' as the stereotypical images in the United States of Latina femininity and gender relations" (Arrizón, 2000) imposed by the Anglo-culture, as well as the patriarchal society.
You know, I hate that use of 'we'.
But I have to conclude that other than substance addiction and a tragically early death, and being rich, Carmen Miranda doesn't appear to be that wild. So, she won't be on the new t-shirt...
