Bombshells: Five Women Who Set the Fifties on Fire

By Shar Daws

Jean Harlow, the Godmother of Blondes, lit the torch for the blonde bombshell, creating an image and persona that would be passed on for generations to come. Jean’s life was cut tragically short at the age of 26, but the flame reignited in the 1950s with the most notorious blondes of all time: Ruth Ellis, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Diana Dors. Each left a legacy that has ensured the fire will never be completely extinguished, affecting not only individual lives but society across a world stage. From Marilyn’s stardom and Diana’s unwavering integrity, to Ruth’s tragic status as the last woman hanged in Britain, all of these women experienced success and tragedy, love and heartbreak, and attention both positive and negative. Bombshells examines these five exceptional women in the context of the 1950s, the expectations and constrictions society had at the time and how they pushed through barriers and paved the way for the real sexual revolution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Mar 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9780750994583

Shar Daws

SHAR DAWS has a master's degree in English and Creative Writing, and has contributed research to multiple books about stars of the 1950s and written dozens of articles in magazines. Alongside writing, she has set up and runs Retro Daisy Vintage, an online clothing boutique. In 2007 and 2012 she helped organise events at the Marilyn Monroe Memorial in LA, which attracted fans from around the globe. She lives in Sussex.