Then again, it was part of Mae West's brand to be forever free. By the 1930s, West was a top box-office star in Hollywood. More than that, she was a symbol — not just of sex (although she was ...

Mae West was a Hollywood legend who was also a symbol of the modern woman: free, in charge of her destiny, not shy about her sexuality and, most important, not tethered to any one man. But Mae ...