Books: Twiggy

In 1975 Twiggy wrote her autobiography at the age of 26.  Many acquaintances described Twiggy as being the ultimate example of a 'Cinderella Story'. She was discovered at the age of 16 and almost overnight became the ultimate sixties model.

Throughout her biography Twiggy comes across as being sweet, shy and kind hearted. She always tried to see the best in people and was genuinely grateful and surprised for the success she had in her life. The book is easy to read and provides many interesting anecdotes about her experiences and the people she encountered. She doesn't go into depth about the more personal aspects of her life and only briefly touches on her breakup with manager/boyfriend, Justin de Villenuve, and subsequent relationship with Michael Witney (who at the time of writing was not yet her husband). Owing to her youth she occasionally comes across as a bit naive and I'd be interested to read her second autobiography, Twiggy in Black and White, which was written more recently. Have any of you read it?

Sadly this book is no longer in print, though it often pops up on ebay, so if you fancy a read have a look! It really is a great way to learn more about Twiggy and her career as a model in particular.

Apologies for the watermarks! But here is Twiggy at a book signing for her autobiography. 

This Month: February

1960
-A sit in is held in Greensboro, North Carolina
-Queen Elizabeth II creates the Mountbatten-Windsor surname, to be held by all her future descendants
-The play Toys in the Attic, written by Lillian Helman, begins it's run on Broadway, eventually reaching 464 performances
-Princess Margaret announces her engagement to photographer, Antony Armstrong Jones (Earl of Snowdon)

Princess Margaret & Antony Armstrong Jones

1961
-Marilyn Monroe's last completed film, The Misfits, is released
-Sabena Flight 548 crashes, killing everyone on board, including the US figure skating team


1962
-Jackie Kennedy's White House Tour is broadcast. She goes on to win an Emmy for her performance.
-Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev dance together for the first time
-The Judy Garland Show debuts. Originally a once off, it's popularity led to a series the following year.
-Photographer, Inge Morath, marries Arthur Miller

Jackie Kennedy during the White House tour

1963
-The Beatles debut album is recorded
-Sylvia Plath commits suicide
-Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique is published
-Female suffrage is enacted in Iran
-The Crystals release their album, He's a Rebel

1964
-Much to the delight of female fans, The Beatles arrive in New York
-The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan, Beatlemania and the British Invasion begins in the US
-Dionne Warwick releases the album, Anyone Who Had a Heart

1965
-The youngest child of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier, Stephanie, is born
-A one shot measles vaccine is introduced in America
-Malcom X's home is firebombed, his wife and children were present, though no one was hurt
-Archaeologist Margherita Guarducci claims to have found the remains of Saint Peter
-Malcolm X is assassinated

1966
-Jacqueline Susan's controversial novel, Valley of the Dolls, is released
-At the Golden Globe awards, Dr Zhivago and The Sound of Music are the big winners
-Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and the Holding Company play at the Filmore

1967
-The first of the Kenosha Killings takes place in Wisconsin. To this day the case remains unsolved.
-Aretha Franklin records 'Respect'. February 16 is declared 'Aretha Franklin Day' by the city of Detroit.
-Jefferson Airplane release their album, Surrealistic Pillow
-Dolly Parton releases her debut album, Hello, I'm Dolly

1968
-The only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie, is born
-There is a royal wedding in Denmark for Princess Benedikte

1969
-Vickie Jones is arrested for impersonating Aretha Franklin in a concert. However her impersonation is so good nobody requests a refund.
-Mary Hopkin releases her album Postcard, featuring her hit song, 'Those Were the Days'

The back cover of Mary Hopkin's Postcard, with notes by Paul McCartney and photos by Linda Eastman

This Month: January

Something a little different! A list of events that happened during the sixties in the month of January. I've tried to focus on moments directly relating to women.

1960
-Actress Margaret Sullavan dies age 50
-Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is born
-National Airlines Flight 2511 explodes mid air, killing everyone on board. The case remains open to this day

1961
-Australia becomes the second country to permit the sale of the pill
-JFK becomes the President of the United States
-He appoints the first female White House physician; Janet G. Travell
-Marilyn Monroe divorces husband Arthur Miller

Janet G. Travell

1962
-The Beatles audition for and are rejected by Decca
-Jackie Kennedy films a tour of the White House, which is broadcast in February
-Petula Clark has her 1st number one in France, with the song, 'Romeo'
-Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton begin an affair on the set of Cleopatra, the ensuing scandal goes as far as the Vatican.
-Euince Gray dies in a fire at the age of 77. It was long speculated that she was Etta Place, girlfriend of the Sundance Kid. Later photographic evidence disputes this.

1963
-'The Big Freeze of 1963' Britain suffers through one of it's coldest winters on record
-The Mona Lisa is exhibited for the first time in America
-The Beatles single, 'Please, Please Me' is released
-Sylvia Plath's only novel, The Bell Jar, is published

First edition of The Bell Jar, published under a pseudonym

1964
-19 year old Mary Sullivan becomes the final victim of the Boston Strangler
-The magazine Jackie, is first published, it's main market is teenage girls
-Future first lady, Michelle Obama, is born
-Margaret Chase Smith announces her candidacy for the US Presidency, the first woman to be taken seriously in such a role
-Mary Whitehouse launches her 'Clean Up TV' campaign in Britain. For the remainder of her life she remains dedicated to eliminating the use of sex and violence in mainstream media.

1965
-A sneak preview of the film, The Sound of Music, is held in Minnesota
-Civil rights activist Annie Lee Cooper punches Selma Sheriff, Jim Clark, in the face
-Petula Clark has a No. 1 single in the US with 'Downtown'. The first English female artist to achieve this since the arrival of the Beatles
-Cilla Black releases her album, Cilla 

1966
-Indria Gandhi is elected
-In Australia the three Beaumont Children disappear. To this day they have never been found.

Jane, Grant & Arnna Beaumont

1967
-San Francisco hosts a Human Be In
-Linda Ronstadt (with The Stone Poneys) and Laura Nyro both release their debut albums
-Barbara Gordon as Batgirl is first introduced in the Detective Comics

1968
-Eartha Kitt visits the White House and causes controversy with her comments about the Vietnam War
-Sharon Tate marries director Roman Polanski
-Aretha Franklin releases her album, Lady Soul

1969
-The Beatles perform their final concert on the rooftop of their Apple building
-Fairport Convention release the album, What we Did on Our Holidays. It is their first album to feature singer Sandy Denny

Fairport Convention (with Sandy Denny standing)