A Timeless Beauty

I first laid eyes on Raquel Welch in Life Magazine in a revealing bikini showing off her natural attributes! Then there was another shot of her standing statuesquely behind Patrick Curtis, the man who was to introduce her to moviedom and whom she later married in Paris; issuing a series of provocative wedding night photos as publicity.

Some may call her the archetypal manufactured sex symbol but to me she is beauty au naturele. A beguiling look-you-in-the-eye nymph, Raquel was the iconic sex symbol of the 1960s and the early '70s. My brother was certainly enamoured by her beauty at first sight!

This year Raquel turns 64. No bother because she continues to appeal to men as testified through the countless "Most Sexiest Women" lists for the last four decades including Playboy!

Raquel, of mixed Bolivian ancestry, first appeared in movies in the mid-60s after working as a waitress and model. Her highlights included being clad in the unforgettable fur-bikini in One Million Years BC and in that heavenly hot white wetsuit in Fantastic Voyage. You will certainly be dazzle with her role as Lust in the original Bedazzled. To showcase the sexy kitten image, Raquel astounded audience by cavorting in the nude with Jim Brown in 100 Rifles. Then comes a cowboy revenge movie, "Bandolero!" The downside was obviously the ill-fated Myra Breckenridge in the 1970's. However, all is not lost. She is no eye candy, this Raquelita!; for she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her work in The Three Musketeers, confirming that she can be one serious actress!

Is there life after Hollywood for this statuesque stunner? She went into work-out videos-the most famous being Raquel's Total Beauty and Fitness Program in the 1980s. She then ventured into wigs and skin-care products. In 2002, she returned to the entertainment business with a role in "American Family," the first all-Latino drama series and the first original prime-time American episodic drama on PBS in decades.

Her famous comments included:

On her ex-husband:

"I couldn't stand that my husband was being unfaithful. I am Raquel Welch -- understand?"

On her role as a sex symbol:

"Being a sex symbol was rather like being a convict."

On being a mother:

"I was not a classic mother. But my kids were never palmed off to boarding school. So, I didn't bake cookies. You can buy cookies, but you can't buy love."

What a woman!

Raquel Welch continues to maintain her natural beauty attributes till this day. You can see this in Legally Blonde and in the television series American Family. Every one falls in love with Raquel Welch. Except for fools, no one falls out though!

Quote of the Day:

“Curve: The loveliest distance between two points”. Mae West

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