52 WEEKS::Sandra Dee

I don't believe that sex appeal has anything to do with a woman's body or her clothes.

~ Sandra Dee

I have always watched old movies and when I was very young, probably about 12 or 13 years old, I was in love with the 'Tammy' movies.  They were funny, sweet and romantic and I was hooked.  Though Debbie Reynolds was the original Tammy, it was Sandra Dee who really caught my attention.  As I grew up I learned that Sandra (originally Alexandra Zuck) struggled with the sweet image Hollywood forced on her.  She began modelling at the age of four, was sexually abused by her stepfather, enjoyed cigarettes and alcohol but was expected to hide it, and ended up struggling and eventually dying of causes related to anorexia nervosa.  In interviews she often talked about growing up too fast, which is something I have always kept in mind when raising my two daughters.