Similarities
November 19, 2007
I should be working on my article right now, but my mind is blank for the moment.
I came up with this list a couple of days ago. It compares certain aspects of Elizabeth’s life with mine:
-Both abandoned by fathers. Her father faked his own suicide, but latter sent a letter to the family apologizing and asking to come back. Her mother refused, just as mine did when my father begged her to marry him again.
-We both have only sisters. She has 4, I have 3. I am the youngest, but I’m not sure where she fits into her line of sisters. I do have a brother but I hardly speak to or see him, so he might as well not even exist. o_O
-Both of us are secretive. If you met me face to face, I would not babble on the way I do in my blog. According to sources, Elizabeth was secretive. Very few people knew much, if anything, about her.
-Both of us have female issues. Apparently, something was wrong with a gland in her vaginal canal. This blocked entry into her vagina, debunking the rumor that she was a prostitute or even “easy”. I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).
-We were born almost exactly 40 years apart. Ok, not exactly 40 years but close enough. She was born July 29, 1924 and I was born February 27, 1985.
-She dropped out of high school at 16 years old; I “dropped out” at 15. While I went on to earn my GED, I’m not sure if the option was available back then and if it was, I don’t know if Elizabeth pursued that route.
-Both of us would develop relationships with our fathers years after they deserted us and both relationships would ultimately fail.
-We both adore films. Elizabeth wanted to be an actress more than anything. When I was younger, I also wanted to be an actress, but quickly realized that showbiz is brutal and I knew I wouldn’t make it.
-She seemed lost…as I seem lost. I am never certain of anything and I believe she was the same way. Though, I don’t believe I am really lost. I think I just appear to be because I change my mind often. That doesn’t particularly mean that I am “lost”. As a matter of fact, I believe that poor Elizabeth was more lost than I could ever be. It’s tragic.
November 19, 2007 at 4:48 pm
“Both of us have female issues. Apparently, something was wrong with a gland in her vaginal canal. This blocked entry into her vagina, debunking the rumor that she was a prostitute or even “easy”. I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).”
You have it half right. According to the FBI file on Bette, the coroner’s report does not mention anything amiss with her genitalia. So she was perfectly capable of having sex. But that does not mean she did.
Bette lived when she was away from home wholly on the kindness of others. From what I have read, Bette was in poverty to the point she had kept poor personal hygiene, especially in the last weeks or days of her life. If she was a prostitute, she wouldn’t have needed to live that way.
November 19, 2007 at 4:48 pm
That may be true. All I know for sure is that she wanted attention and love. And if she had wanted to become an actress, it would have made sense.
November 19, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Actually, Elizabeth (who called herself “Bette”–check out the autograph from the yearbook at blackdahlia.info) may not have wanted to be an actress. A lot of sources say that may have been what she was after, but there is no real evidence of this.
November 19, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Hmm, so what makes people think she had a vaginal defect? I wonder how that rumor got started.
November 19, 2007 at 6:42 pm
1) Yes, she wanted love. But more than that, she wanted people to take care of her. It’s why she never held a steady job.
2) I think you could go to John Gilmore’s book “Severed” for that. As far as I can tell, that is the first book to mention the defect. The problem is, upon closer look, the book is more sensational than factual, and is good only for the photos, one of which you posted.
For what it’s worth, in my research on the case, I have managed to see Bette post-mortem in just about every possible angle. And that’s enough.
November 19, 2007 at 7:46 pm
What book would you recommend concerning the case?
November 19, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Childhood Shadows by Mary Pacios. I kind of helped her out while she was doing research for that book in the late ’80s, and having seen it, I can say it is the BEST book on Bette you will ever find.
November 19, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Wow, must be quite an honor to have helped in writing a book about Elizabeth.
November 19, 2007 at 9:05 pm
It was rather minor, actually. She was looking for a book that was out of print, and across the USA, there I was, with access to one! So I grabbed the book, photocopied the pages, and sent them off!
I did not feel I accomplished anything spectacular. Apparently neither did she, because I did not get a mention in the book!
*wink!*
November 20, 2007 at 3:45 pm
From the blackdahlia.info website:
“Elizabeth Short had “infantile genitals.” Fact or fiction?
The autopsy stated the “tubes, ovaries and cul de sac are intact.” Other documents in the DA files mention a “female disorder” and state: “according to the autopsy surgeon her sex organs indicated female trouble” Specifics are not mentioned.
The DA file further states: “she would then refuse to have sexual intercourse by telling them she was a virgin or that she was engaged or married. There were three known men who did have sexual intercourse with her and according to them she got no pleasure out of this act.” One man stated that she would not go out with him again.”
I cannot believe I missed this. It’s been too long since I last looked.