The most iconic woman you don't know

She's a legend.

And chances are, you probably don't even know her name.

Moms Mabley.

A stage name, of course. But one that became a household name and world-wide sensation in the 1950s and 60s.

She was once deemed the "funniest woman in the world."

But her childhood was far from humorous.

The great-granddaughter of a slave, Jackie "Moms" Mabley was born in North Carolina in 1897. When she was 11, her father, a businessman and volunteer firefighter, died when his fire truck exploded. Soon after, her mom was killed by a mail truck on Christmas morning.

By the time she was 15, the orphan had been raped twice, once by an older black man and another time by a white sheriff. Both rapes resulted in pregnancy. Both babies were given up for adoption.

Her step-father encouraged her to get married, but her grandmother convinced her to strike out on her own. After all, she had singing and dancing talent which couldn't be ignored. Following her grandma's advice, Jackie ran off to Cleveland to join a traveling show.

It was the best decision she ever made. Realizing her sense of humor was far more spectacular than her dancing gams, Jackie turned to comedy. It wasn't long before Jackie was discovered by a famous vaudeville duo and they asked her to join them.

Soon, Jackie was performing at legendary venues, such as the Cotton Club, the Savoy Ballroom, and later, the Apollo Theater. During the 1920s Harlem Renaissance Jackie had become part of an elite circle of performers and jazz musicians who would shape the world.

And although she was having relationships with both men and women, Jackie kept her sexuality to herself. After all, she believed sexuality was something to be expressed, not defined.

Her risqué stand-up comedy routines shocked and delighted audiences who had never encountered someone like her before. She dressed like a man. She talked openly about subjects like racism.

In 1960, she made history by performing for a white audience at Carnegie Hall. It was so successful, her career took off even further, earning her guest appearances on all the hottest television shows of the era.

Her persona, as a frumpy grumpy ol' woman, became one of the most recognized characters in showbiz.

Well into her 60s, Jackie was already shaping the future of comedy for women...and for everyone. She went on to record more than two dozen comedy albums. At 75 years old, she even became the oldest person to ever have a top 40 hit.

In 1975, Jackie passed away from heart failure. She was survived by four children (in addition to the two she had given up for adoption).

Strangely and sadly, her status as a comedic pioneer vanished into thin air after her death. When we look back on the history of comedy, we think of other names first.

Fortunately, Whoopi Goldberg is going to change that soon.

Frustrated that nobody had ever heard of the comedienne who inspired her entire career, Whoopi decided to produce and direct an HBO documentary called "Moms Mabley: I Got Something to Tell You," which will air this fall.

A little late for her legend to be remembered, but better late than never, right?

Walk on the Wild Side

“I'm a thousand different people. Every one is real.”

Her eyes glittered with the drunken rush of old Hollywood glamour. Her pouty red lips brought grown men to their knees. Her dramatic, self-indulgent wit made her an icon.

Her name made people smile.

Candy Darling.

She was born a male. In the 1950s, people knew her as little Jimmy Slattery, the boy with the drunken gambling father and sweet, but timid mother.

To escape her stifling blue-collar life in New York City, the future diva drowned herself in old Hollywood films. She worshipped Kim Novak. She envied Elizabeth Taylor. She dreamed of being Marilyn Monroe.

By the time she was a teenager, Candy was putting on her most stylish dresses, perfecting her makeup in the mirror, and strutting out the door to party at all the hottest gay bars in town. She changed her name and never looked back.

As a gorgeous woman with an outgoing personality and loads of confidence to boot, Candy was naturally drawn to the stage. She wanted to be beyond famous. She wanted to be a STAR.

She was starring in a burlesque show (featuring a talented, but virtually unknown actor named Robert De Niro) in 1967 when she caught the attention of pop artist Andy Warhol.

Intrigued by her addictive charisma and overwhelming sexuality, Andy asked Candy to act in his next film, Flesh.

Soon, the pair became best friends. Candy was a staple at the Warhol Factory. With the famous artist by her side, she lit up the most glitzy nightclubs in the world. She mingled with movie stars. She was the subject of several extremely famous rock songs. She was at the height of her fame.

But it was too good to last.



It wasn't long before Andy grew bored with the "chicks with dicks" theme. It was so last year, he decided. So, he ditched the transsexual. Candy went from being his BFF to being shunned by the man who had made her a superstar.

Suddenly, she was all alone. It was cruel and shocking to the 20-something performer.

Using her Warhol boost, Candy managed to keep her career afloat for a while during the early 1970s. She had small roles in low budget and even big budget films. She starred in a smattering of plays.

And then the inevitable occurred.

Candy was diagnosed with leukemia. It was the result of the hormones (mostly estrogen) she had been taking to maintain her feminine appearance during the last decade. The cancer ate away at her body with incredible speed.

Instead of being depressed, Candy saw her deadly illness as the role of a lifetime. The 29-year-old played the dying femme fatale with so much style and flamboyance, it would have made her old Hollywood idols proud. She even posed for a deathbed glamour shot.

She quite possible left the most charming death note in celebrity history:

To whom it may concern

By the time you read this I will be gone. Unfortunately before my death I had no desire left for life. Even with all my friends and my career on the upswing I felt too empty to go on in this unreal existence. I am just so bored by everything. You might say bored to death. It may sound ridiculous but is true. I have arranged my own funeral arrangements with a guest list and it is paid for. I would like to say goodbye to Jackie Curtis, I think you're fabulous. Holly, Sam Green a true friend and noble person, Ron Link I'll never forget you, Andy Warhol what can I say, Paul Morrissey, Lennie you know I loved you, Andy you too, Jeremiah don't take it too badly just remember what a bitch I was, Geraldine I guess you saw it coming. Richard Turley & Richard Golub I know I could've been a star but I decided I didn't want it. Manuel, I'm better off now. Terry I love you. Susan I am sorry, did you know I couldn't last I always knew it. I wish I could meet you all again.

Goodbye for Now

Love Always
Candy Darling

And just as she dreamed, Candy Darling has become a legend. She was the first drag queen to take over pop culture. Her influence can be found in movies, famous drag queens, and reality shows to this day.

With her fabulousness and cheerful glamour, she changed the world...and made it a more special one.

Technicolor Couture

I'm not a huge fan of musicals, but one of my guilty pleasures is Bye Bye Birdie.

The 1963 teen movie parodies the real-life drafting of Elvis into the United States Army.

It's cute, bubbly, adorable, and a technicolor dream come true.

But the main reason for watching it is because of its delightfully adorable star, Ann Margret.

The Swedish-born beauty is as sweet and innocent as American apple pie in this musical.

And it established the 20-year-old as a legimate fashion icon.

Ann Margret was the Britney Spears of the 1960s, starting out as an all-American girl-next-door to quickly transforming into a mischevious sex kitten.

Girls wanted to be her. Guys wanted to bang her.

In the early 1960s, she had a steamy affair with Elvis, that rocked headlines all over the world. Despite having a nasty break-up, the two remains close friends until his death, which made his wife absolutely livid.

In 1967, she married the love of her life, an actor named Roger. The two are still married today.

In 1972, while performing at Lake Tahoe, she fell 22 feet from an elevated platform onto the stage and nearly broke every single bone in her face. She had reconstructive facial surgery and spent months recovering.

In the 1980s, she used to drive around Beverly Hills in a pink Cadillac, like a bad-ass.

She has always been a huge motorcycle fan, a passion that started in the 1960s. She still rides her Harley today.

In 2000, she was thrown off her motorcycle while throwing caution to the wind in rural Minnesota. She suffered three broken ribs and a fractured shoulder. She's fine now.

Her latest work, an episode of Law & Order: SVU in 2010 earned her an Emmy award, which drew a standing ovation at the ceremony. Not bad, eh?

What do you think of Ann Margret? Do you like her 1960s style?

"Hot, hot hot, smart, smart, smart!"

When most girls think of the 1960s, the first style icon which comes to mind is Twiggy.

Ironically, the real face of the flower child decade was really Penelope Tree.

Penelope Tree was an oddly adorable teenage fashion model, who came from a wealthy, aristocratic family.

Growing up, she clung to her closeted-gay father and barely had a relationship with her non-existent mother who jet-setted around the world with her handsome, debonair boyfriends.

In 1966, when she was 17-years-old, Penelope attended a Black and White Ball thrown by Truman Capote and the night changed her life. The media became obsessed with her shockingly risque black attire. Her elf-like features were mystifyingly beautiful. The next day, Vogue called, begging her to grace a cover.

The gimpish model became a household name overnight. She started attending the hottest parties, where she mingled with superstars like John Lennon (who adored her). The teenage It Girl then quickly moved in with her new boyfriend, the famous British photographer David Bailey, who was still married to the French movie star Catherine Deneuve.

Beneath the glittering limelight, however, life wasn't picture-perfect.

Penelope was anorexic and bulimic, desperate to keep her weight in check with the boyish body image of the time. She was also miserably aware that the love of her life, her much-older boyfriend, had a wandering eye.

By the early 1970s, her world came crashing down when Penelope developed severe cystic acne, which covered her face with large, unsightly bumps and later, scarring. By her mid-20s, her modeling career was finished.

Even her own boyfriend couldn't stand to look at her face. David took off with a younger model in 1974, abruptly and cruelly ending their six-year relationship.

Bewildered and shocked, the unhappy ex-model roamed around the world with her savings. She got married. Had a daughter. Explored her religious options.

In the 1980s, she found peace with Buddhism.

These days, she spends most of her time immersed in charity work for two Buddhist organizations, which help impoverished children in Asia. She's very passionate about her work. She also writes books and has a close relationship with her two adult children.

Oh, and the model recently got back in front of the camera again to promote Burberry with a supermodel who has long been compared to herself: Kate Moss.

And even though most of you probably didn't even know her name, Penelope still wins. Because she's happy now.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary...

It is given to a fortunate few to be born at the right time, in the right place, with the right talents. In recent fashion there are three: Chanel, Dior, and Mary Quant.

-Ernestine Carter, fashion journalist in the 1960s

When Mary Quant was a child in the 1940s, she used to cut up her bedsheets and sew them into clothes.

She studied fashion in college and met her future husband, Alexander, there.

Mary started to make clothes for herself and her friends, an eclectic group of vibrant, 20-something artists, who despised the stuffy, conservative housewife look of the 1950s.

Using fabrics bought at Harrod's, she made short tunic dresses, low-waisted flare pants, and brightly colored tights.

In 1955, her business-minded husband helped her open a boutique, called Bazaar, in London.

She filled her shop with white, plastic knee-high lace-up boots and tight, skinny rib sweaters in stripes, and plastic raincoats in bold colors.

Inspired by ballerinas, she started selling a tiny little skirt she named after her favorite car: the Mini.

With the help of edgy fashion shows and hip window displays, she quickly became the most popular designer in London. Her clothes were shockingly daring, youthful, vibrant, flirtatious, and affordable.

The word coined by the fashion industry and media to describe her new style was "Mod."

By 1963, teenage and 20-something girls in the United States were begging for her designs. She turned her company into a global empire.

The mini skirt became such a cultural phenomenon, affluent designers, such as Yves Saint Laurent, were forced to follow in her footsteps.

She also started a cosmetic line, which introduced the world's first waterproof mascara.

The hottest supermodel of the decade, Twiggy, rocked her looks on and off the runway.

Mary and her husband club-hopped with artists and musicians and threw elaborate, wild parties at their Chelsea penthouse.

Her own personal style heavily influenced culture as well. Her Vidal Sassoon bob became the most copied haircut of the decade, and turned the hair dresser into a household name.

Although Mary and her husband seemed delightfully in love while moving around their glamorous circles, their marriage was rocky. Alexander was an alcoholic womanizer who didn't even attempt to hide his adulterous affairs from his wife. Mary was too in love with him to leave him. It was a decade sprinkled with violent fights and shattered wine glasses.

By the late 1960s, while on top of the world, she invented hotpants, which became the next big craze.

By the 1970s, however, her rock star status started waning. The hippie movement shifted style away from swinging London and into a long-haired, laid-back bohemian revolution.

In 2000, the Mary Quant empire was taken over by a Japanese company.

The fashion icon, now widowed, faded away into retirement.

Mary currently lives in the English countryside with her new man and spends most of her free time giving art lessons to her adoring grandchildren.