by B. B. James

Created on: June 26, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Farrah Fawcett redefined the limits of mass sex appeal in the 1970s and then transcended that image to become a woman recognized for her acting talents and her commitment to educating the public about cancer. Her early death, while not surprising, has saddened people who recognized her strength of character and commitment to bettering people's lives.

Farrah Fawcett was raised in a conservative family in Texas, and her rise to stardom was the classic American tale. She was beautiful and bubbly, and she had stars in her eyes. She dropped out of college to try her luck in Hollywood, and she was "discovered" by a modeling agency. Her slim figure - but with enough curves to be noticed - and remakable hair and smile launched her career in commercials, which then led to guest parts on TV shows. She got her big break on the hit series, "Six Million Dollar Man," and she married its star, Lee Majors.

While she was slowly making her mark on television, Farrah was just another pretty face until she posed for a poster in a tight red bathing suit. Such posters of gorgeous actresses and models had been published for more than a century, and of course, they were just the modern versions of lush paintings from many centuries before. But something about Farrah was different, and her poster became an instant icon and reference point for every male in America. An estimated 12 million were sold in a few years, and Farrah was the cover girl on every magazine imaginable.

What was it about Farrah's poster and her on-screen appeal? She had a special allure. It was a combination of her stop-you-in-your tracks looks and her unabashed, but playful sexiness. She wasn't coy when she was wearing a bathing suit or revealing clothing, but she wasn't too aggressive, either. She was just reveling in her beauty and her grace, enjoying your attention but without giving it to omuch notice. It was irresistable.

The notoriety of the poster led to her most famous TV gig, "Charlie's Angels," on which she played a sexy private investigator with two other stunning women. Farrah was on the show for only a year, but the show had also magically tapped into changing standards in America, and it made her an even bigger star. The show was a touchstone for everyone. For men, it was a new level of female sexiness on TV. For feminists, the women were stereotyped by having to be beautiful and also servile to the mysterious "Charlie." For girls, the women were empowering because they shot guns, drove cars very

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