Over the Holiday weekend, I had a number of people come up to me and ask about my name. It took me aback at first. After all, this was a question I had never received before. So, I thought I would save myself the trouble and explain it once...on here.
Like most of us, the Bombshells of Hollywood had their names changed. They were never named anything like Phyllis, Edith, or Bertha. If they were, you would never know it. The serious bombshells of the Golden era took on names with a va-va-voom, breathy alliterations that had starlet potential. Names that had marquee appeal.
Camille Javal Bardot became Brigitte Bardot!
I, myself even choose to do so after my first photo shoot. After all, if I was going to keep up the modeling, I very well couldn't use my real name. And, since neither parent wanted to use my father's long Spanish last name, nor my mother's Italian last name. I was given a very boring American name.
Lolita Dolores Martinez Asunsolo Lopez Negrette became Dolores Del Rio!
I then picked Lola. It was a short, breathy alliteration of my first name. One in which my family and friends used for short and half-ly to describe my love for vintage.
Margarita Carmen Cansino became Rita Hayworth!
As for GlamourDoll, it was given to me. Everyone from my high school didn't really understand the whole vintage thing. The ones that didn't know my name just started calling me, GlamourDoll. After sometime, it just stuck!
Constance Francis Ockleman became Veronica Lake!
LaShea came about a year ago when I did some research on my family. I never really understood where all the different names came from or why there were so many last name changes. Well, it turned out that LaShea (pronounced La-Shay) was my great great grandmother's maiden name, on my mother's side.
Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner became Lana Turner!
Lola*
Actually Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was BB's real name. Camille Javal was just the name of the character played by Brigitte in Le Mépris.
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