The wonderful documentary about the life and times of English feminist and romance author Jackie Collins, Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story shines a light on the captivating and inspiring life that she led, right until it was her time to go.
Jackie Collins was and remains one of the most popular writers in the world, and the documentary, directed by Laura Fairrie, was an incisive and revering look at her genius and struggles with the help of old diary entries, archival videos, and photos, her closest friends and family, along with narrations of her own words. The movie had a lot of teachable moments which audiences, especially younger ones, can learn a lot from.
Jackie Pioneered A New Feminist Genre
Most people think that Jackie Collins' hit books like Hollywood Wives and Lucky, amongst others, were just fluff books, but the truth is that they were one-of-a-kind at the time — they examined female agency, female sexual desire, and put women in control in a way that no other book did.
Only men were allowed to write about sex in a certain way up until that point in pop culture. Sexual desire was owned by men, but Jackie changed that notion with her books, which are essentially feminist works of art.
Hollywood Has Always Been About Appearances
The beginning of the documentary spoke about how Jackie had "big sister syndrome" — her wildly beautiful older sister Joan was making waves in London and across the pond in Hollywood because of her beauty, and Jackie felt pretty left out of the entire circle.
In a bid to build a persona for herself in Hollywood, she got a lot of work done on her face, which reflects solely how looks-obsessed the entertainment industry has been since early times. This mentality made many men and women deeply insecure.
The Fifties To Eighties Were Oppressive To Women
It's no secret that the time period from the Fifties to Eighties weren't exactly liberating for women and girls, but the stark contrast between life back then and now comes to light in the documentary.
Jackie's own father treated her badly, and was a philanderer despite being married and having a family. He wanted Joan and Jackie to be in the entertainment business, but constantly slut-shamed them if they wore something he didn't approve of. He was abusive, as were two of Jackie's partners. At the time, this was an open secret and nobody really did anything to help or change the situation, showing just how bleak it was for women in that era.
Jackie's Books Were Based On Real People
A much overdue movie about a prolific writer, Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story revealed what newer readers of Collins may not have known: that almost all of her books were based on real things that happened to real, and very famous, people.
She had access to inner Hollywood circles because of her family, and she went to these soirees to research and pick up material, which she then translated into books that became wildly popular, even with women who weren't readers.
Her Message Transcended Geography
It wasn't a coincidence that Jackie's sexually explicit novels were also uplifting for women, as she very much intended them to be that way. The author was very vocal about this, and after the success of her books, they were translated into almost 40 languages.
Once she moved to America from London, her popularity grew, and she was being read everywhere from Czechoslovakia to Israel and Paris, going on book tours there, and meeting women from all around the world whom she had touched with her work.
Jackie Fearlessly Embodied Her Characters
Before becoming a bestselling author, Jackie acted in some B-movies in Britain in order to get an acting career like her sister. So, she was an actress anyway, who later turned author and then screenwriter for her adapted tomes.
After becoming a writer, she still stayed in character, and that character resembled her favorite protagonist, Lucky Santangelo. She wore the big hair, polished yet feline outfits, walked her talk, and lived in the "Jackie Land" that she had created in her books while touring and interviewing for her novels.
Girls Can Do Anything
This was Jackie Collins' motto: "Girls can do anything", and she lived by it. She challenged the norms of patriarchy before people even realized that the existing social structure was flawed, she wrote sexually empowering books for other women to read and learn from, motivated others to reach for their dreams, and did so herself.
In her eyes, it was just not an option to not strive for her dreams, and despite having hurdles like abusive partners and a lack of direction at the beginning of her career, she came out thriving on the other side and encouraged other women's success wholeheartedly.
Classic Literature Isn't The Only Important Type Of Book
The biggest message that Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story signals is that someone doesn't need to be adept at English, know big words, or be a literary genius to make a difference in the world. Sometimes, all anyone has to be is a great storyteller, and that's who Jackie Collins was.
She never claimed to be literary, but her books were relatable and enjoyable, and they inspired women around the world to sit up and take notice of themselves, their dreams, and gain control of their lives.