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Greta Garbo photographed by Nickolas Muray, 1929

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Greta Garbo in Anna Christie (1930) directed by Clarence Brown

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Greta Garbo photographed by Ruth Harriet Louise in Motion Picture Classic, July 1926

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Julie Newmar makes a phone call during a Broadway stage production of Li'l Abner in New York City, 1956. She is playing Stupefyin' Jones

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In the early 1930s, scholarly studies were done on the impact of screen stars on teenagers, because of fears that the movies were sexualizing them. These studies found that teenage girls learned sex techniques through watching Garbo’s sex scenes, especially those in Flesh and the Devil; they then practiced her techniques at home with their girlfriends. Raymond Daum described Garbo’s many young female fans as having “schoolgirl crushes on her” that “defined a national idolatry.” And knowledge of Garbo’s non-heteronormative sexuality was spread through lesbian networks “from coast to coast.” Moreover, the 1920s was an era of commercial expansion in which the ranks of saleswomen and typists, careers dominated by young women, increased. These women made enough money to see a movie more than once. They identified with female stars and liked to see them in powerful roles. Greta Garbo in Flesh and the Devil (1926)

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Being stupid apart vs. being stupid together.

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Thunderbolts* dir. Jake Schreier | 2025

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Occasionally, when she was being mournful, Garbo could appear not to rely on anyone. Everyone expected something from her, she seemed to think. She surely had cause for a certain scepticism towards those around her. But on the other hand, she found it difficult to grasp how privileged her position was. She had only to point at something to have it given to her. And if she ever got tired of anyone, it was goodbye to them.

And yet it's difficult to say that Garbo was like this or like that. She would continually surprise you, and would suddenly dispel all the arguments and reasons for your doubts. I once dared to raise an objection when she was complaining about being persecuted by people and not being left alone:

'Yes, but when you're one of the greatest celebrities of the century, as you are, you have to understand that people notice you and are curious about you as well. You have to put up with it.' Instead of reacting angrily to my comment, Garbo leant back in her chair and said: 'Yes, you're right… Thanks to my playing Queen Christina on film, the whole world knows who she is.' (Conversations with Greta Garbo by Sven Broman)

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Greta Garbo, Mata Hari, 1931

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Hedy Lamarr

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Anita Ekberg, c.1958

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SUPERMAN 2025, dir. James Gunn

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non-writers will never understand the mental illness of writing an entire conversation in your head while doing dishes and then forgetting every word the second you open a blank doc

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absolute menace but still such a good boy :')))

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SYDNEY SWEENEY

Via Instagram.

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ALI LARTER via Instagram