Rita Hayworth's widely unknown heritage
- May 19, 2020
- 1 min read
One of the most iconic sex symbol of the 1940s, Rita Hayworth was born the eldest of three Children in Brooklyn as Margarita Cansino. Her parents were both dancers and were united to in a singular dream to see their daughter rise to stardom from the very start of her young life. As a child, Hayworth performed in nightclubs and would spend hours practicing routines every single day, which prevented her from ever finishing high school.
During her rise to fame, Rita married the genius director of Citizen Kane, Mr. Orson Welles. She and Welles made a series of motion pictures together, including one of her best Gilda. The film is widely regarded as her most masterful performance. In it, she proved that she a great actress as well as a seductress.
It was during this time that her name was changed to the Americanized "Rita Hayworth". This also birthed her famous red locks which dubbed her one of the most famous red-heads in Hollywood alongside Lucille Ball. To reshape it, Hayworth underwent a year's worth of electrolysis, which consisted of using a thin metal probe to "shock" the follicle and permanently remove the hair. In the end, her hairline was an inch higher and her new look, for better or for worse, helped launch her career. Ethnic erasure in Hollywood still prevails today in the casting of white individuals for people of color parts. Rather than have "Rita" be represented by her heritage, it was changed to better "suit" a "Movie-star" appearance. Which is an awful disappointment.
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