Happy Birthday, Esther Williams
Somehow I kept my head above water. I relied on the discipline, character, and strength that I had started to develop as that little girl in her first swimming pool."
- Esther Williams
Today is Esther William's birthday; she would have been 100 years old.
I love to celebrate obscure holidays and celebrity birthdays from the golden age of Hollywood. Looking through some upcoming birthdays I realized that Esther Williams, star of Million Dollar Mermaid (1952), Neptune's Daughter (1949), and many more, would have turned 100 years old on this day.
Esther Williams got her start not by going to acting school, but by swimming. She was already swimming champion by the time she was a teenager and was well on her way to go to the Olympics before they were canceled due to World War 2. “I think the joy that showed through in my swimming movies comes from my lifelong love of the water,” she explains. “No matter what I was doing, the best I felt all day was when I was swimming.” (SOURCE)
Esther is so unique in that she simply did not mold herself into the typical Hollywood actress, instead, Hollywood embraced her love for the water and formed a whole new genre: water ballet.
These movies would give new light to synchronized swimming and propel the art into the national spotlight.
I often wonder what it was like in 1939 when moviegoers saw The Wizard of Oz for the first time in movie theaters: perhaps they were in awe of all the colors and the opportunities this revolution in the film would give the film industry for the future.
I imagine there were similar feelings watching Million Dollar Mermaid in the full-screen theater and having a full synchronized swimming performance performed with a full orchestra in Technicolor.
Looking at some of her photos from the past, I had an idea: what better way to celebrate her life than to recreate some of her most iconic pictures? I procured two true vintage bathing suits from around the time frame Esther was filming her movies, reached out to my Esther lookalike friend, Gretchen, and did a photoshoot poolside (she did such an amazing job!)
Credits:
Inspiration:
Esther Williams (1921-2013) was a champion swimmer, actress, and singer. After her life in film and television, she became a businesswoman selling swimming pools and her own line of swimwear.
Model:
Gretchen did such an amazing job portraying Esther Williams!
Wardrobe:
Two bathing suits were used in this shoot:
The gold suit is a true vintage Lee Swimplay suit sold by Apt703Vintage.
The white suit is a true vintage Jantzen suit sold by Fatalfemmevintage.