i am sassa

This woman was TRAGIC, you guys. I’m really grateful to have learned about her today, but I am also sad and in awe and have some deep thoughts over this one that need some time to churn. All I knew of Hedy Lamarr before today is that she was a famous Hollywood actress who also cranked out some pretty astonishing inventions.

But Sassa, how can that be? She was so pretty…

I’m glad you brought that up, Mid-Twentieth Century Bullcrap Opinion Man. You see, it is actually possible for a woman to possess a great intellect and also happen to look in a way that conforms with modern beauty standards. At the same time even! And though Hedy possessed both, only one seemed to be valued by those around her. Guess which one. And even though Hedy herself wanted so badly to be taken seriously for her mind and the inventions that were birthed from it, she still bought into this idea of her worth being tied to her looks. And I really mean bought in, as in shelling out for some serious plastic surgery, always trying to keep one step ahead of her age. Some of the surgeries went not so great, and in the end Hedy was so embarrassed of her appearance that she declined to attend an awards ceremony that FINALLY recognized her for an invention that is now known to be a precursor to secure wi-fi, GPS and Bluetooth. Come ON, Toxic Beauty Culture, why must you be such a relentless monster?!? That’s like one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard, and I’ll never get over it.

Hedy Lamarr’s brain was AMAZING and we owe it to this woman to learn about it. We owe her a lot more than $3.99, which is how much it cost me to rent the documentary Bombshell on YouTube. I highly recommend it. In fact I beg you to watch it, because I want someone to talk to about it. Her life was fascinating. I won’t spoil it all, but I would like to mention that she drugged a maid who looked like her to escape overbearing husband number one on a bicycle. So there’s that.

The contributions that Hedy Lamarr made with her curious nature and sharp intellect are, to me, dazzling in a way that makes physical appearance seem irrelevant, and really kind of absurd. But this kool-aid we have been drinking since birth is just so tasty and easy to serve, isn’t it? Friends, repeat after me:

My worth as a person has nothing to do with the way I look.

My desirability is about you, not me.

I do not need to change anything if I don’t genuinely want to.

I am a beautiful human being, capable of limitless greatness.

I am a bad bitch.

Thank you, Hedy Lamarr.