Farrah Fawcett's Famous Swimsuit Poster – 1976

First of all, to set the record straight, everyone and their brother and all their friends of friends of friends have written about Farrah's iconic red swimsuit poster.

However, from the standpoint of revisiting good ol' 70's Americana I will address the urban legends that have left many of us wondering.

The first myth to dispel is that she used ice cubes to get the desired look. Totally false, absolute balderdash according to Bruce McBroom the photographer. As he puts it...It was all Farrah.

The second fantastic myth is that Farrah Fawcett’s hair spells out the word “SEX” in her curls. The consensus, of opinion on this one is that this story is false. The truth is that it does. I did not see it. Only later, after it was pointed out to me did I actually see it. So, yes that myth is true. You'll have to find it for yourself if you are that curious.

In my opinion, I do not think that it was done intentionally or that it was the reason for the poster's popularity. I believe this famous poster was a combination of the times and happy coincidence.

What most people don't know or remember was that Farrah was still an unknown actress when this poster was made.

The company that made this poster, had heard that many college guys were buying magazines that featured Farrah is advertisements. Learning this they thought that a poster of her would do well, and they were right.

The happy coincidence here is that this poster was made before Charlie's Angels. After her appearance on the show's pilot, people began to take notice. The timing was perfect, and she helped the pilot land a series.

England has their Tennis Girl and we have our Farrah.

It was the bright combination of her smile and those nipples that made this the eye-catching image known the world over.

There's a really good article by the photographer at this link below

Fawcett Photographer Recalls an Iconic Shoot

* The original poster dimensions were 24 x 32. The poster sold for $2.99 and almost every retailer carried it.

As of February 2^nd 2011 Farrah's swimsuit is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute. It was always in her plans to donate this according to her partner Ryan O'Neal.