Farrah Fawcett was beautiful. Her flowing, gravity-defying curls, crystalline blue eyes, and megawatt smile made her the epitome of the girl next door all grown up.
So it may not surprise you that the red swimsuit poster you are most likely picturing right now is still the best-selling poster of all time, mostly because it captured the electric beauty of one of the most stunning women ever.
But as always, there is a story behind the poster, and it is nothing short of a tribute to her brilliance.
Yes, she was beautiful AND brilliant.
Fawcett was relatively unknown when she was cast in Charlie’s Angels, but the show’s producers rectified that. In 1976, the studio approached each member of the glamorous, leggy trio to persuade one of them to pose in a bikini for the poster to promote the show. They even offered to share the profits on the poster.
Kate Jackson said no.
Jaqueline Smith said no.
Guess who said yes and went on to become a runaway star with a sizable bank account within a year?
Yep. It was Fawcett.
At first, the studio was reluctant to release the iconic poster because they were stuck on that bikini thing, but Fawcett (clever girl) had agreed to the swimsuit shoot only on the condition that she was totally in control of every aspect.
So, she chose the red one-piece suit. She chose the photo that made her a superstar.
Talk about making the right decision at the right time.
Find out more about the charismatic blonde bombshell of the 1970s in this video.