Wise words from Jayne Mansfield

Jayne Mansfield (April 19th, 1933 – June 29th, 1967) was an American actress, singer, entertainer, and Playboy Playmate. She was known for her publicity stunts and personal life, had several box-office successes, and won a Theatre World Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Jayne was one of Hollywood's original blonde bombshells and is still one of the most recognizable icons of 1950s celebrity culture.

Jayne reportedly had a high IQ, which she claimed was 163. In addition to English, she spoke French, Spanish, German and Italian. She was known as Hollywood's "smartest dumb blonde" and complained the public didn’t care about her intelligence saying, "They're more interested in 40–21–35 [a reference to her body measurements].”

Jayne married three times and had five children. She died in a car crash in New Orleans at age 34.

Below we list some words of wisdom by Jayne Mansfield.

"I guess a lot of people think that a girl who shows her bosom and wears tight dresses can't be close to God. God has always been close to me. Only He knew what was in my heart."

"I hope that I have given happiness to others. I hope I have given children to the world, and that I have made some kind of a mark for myself here."

"It is the most wonderful feeling in the world, knowing you are loved and wanted"

"A lot of happiness can be brought to the mentally distraught by a little understanding."

"I don't want to get involved in the racial situation at the expense of losing fans. I wouldn't say anything too strong but I do know that God created us equal and we're not living up to it."

"Sex appeal is a wonderful, warm, womanly healthy feeling . . . it comes only from inside, it's from nothing that's manufactured. It has nothing to do with measurements or lipstick color. To me, it's cleanliness, and youth, an effervescent desire to enjoy life."

"I like being a pin-up girl. There's nothing wrong with it."

"Hollywood is the same as any other place when it comes to love, marriage, and divorce ... some people have trouble staying married and some people have trouble staying single."

"You know which title I like best? I like to be called mother."

"I've got the strangest build. It's big in the hips, small in the waist and I've got these enormous ... shoulders."

"A 41-inch bust and a lot of perseverance will get you more than a cup of coffee - a lot more."

"My father was the only man I ever knew who really loved me unselfishly, who never used me for personal gain."

"I have always considered my career self and my personal self as two different and separate people. There's a Jayne Mansfield at home, a wife and devoted mother, and there's Jayne the sex symbol, which is my career. I have always kept them completely apart and separate."

"If you want the best things in life you have to earn them for yourself."

"I've been identified with pink throughout my career, but I'm not as crazy about it as I've led people to believe. My favorite colors are actually neutrals — black and white — but then who thinks of a movie queen in black and white? Everything has to be in living color."

"I don't particularly enjoy publicity, it seems to just follow me around."

"If you're going to do something wrong, do it big, because the punishment is the same either way."

Copyright © Stephen Petullo, Scott Petullo