Joan Crawford may have passed away 37 years ago, but her legacy still lives on today.
Unfortunately, it’s not the good one.
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Upon the release of Christina Crawford’s (her first adopted daughter) book, Mommie Dearest, Joan’s image drastically changed— from a strong woman who dazzled the silver screen to a horrible, abusive mother. She may have ended her struggles in life when she died, but this is one battle that she’ll have to fight forever… even though she can’t defend herself anymore.
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I feel sorry for Joan (or Lucille LeSueur, her real name). Whenever I watch her videos on Youtube, I always see the comment section flooded with opinions about her being a terrifying mother. It’s always “No more wire hangers,” “Mommie Dearest,” and almost all offending adjectives that anyone could ever use to describe a person. Only few people recognize her worth, talent, and the legacy she left for future generations. For most people, she is “Joan Crawford the Beast” rather than “Joan Crawford the Actress.”
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I feel bad for her not just because I’m one of her adoring fans, but because the world’s being so unfair to her. She’s already resting, yet people still point out her bad qualities over the good ones. Christina’s still talking about “surviving her mommie dearest.” It’s been ages; why don’t we just give the lady the respect she deserve for bringing joy and entertainment to us, right? I always think, “Can we forget Mommie Dearest for a while and not bring it up whenever there’s a video or article about her? Can we just recognize her for being a professional actress who didn’t give less for her fans?” After all, it’s none of our business if she was, as they say, an abusive mother. We shouldn’t judge her for her personal shortcomings. We weren’t there when she was “beating” her children, so how should we know, right?
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If only people could set that book aside for a moment and really look into the Joan Crawford that we (her fans) know: the angelic-faced star who delighted audiences for almost half a century; the actress who is best known for her hit films such as Mildred Pierce, Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, Our Dancing Daughters, and more; the 5 foot 3 inches-tall movie goddess who stood taller than anyone else, with her trademark broad shoulders, thick eyebrows and full lips. The Joan Crawford who gave us some of the best films in Hollywood history.
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Joan, may you rest in peace, knowing that there are still people who see you for your wonderful contribution to the film industry, not for your personal problems. We love you, Joanie!
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Happy blogging (and “fangirling”)!
Jane
Etcetera 
I’ve heard the story. NOT sure if the abuse stories were true, and not saying they’re not, simply because up to now, it is a widely argued issue within the family. We who are outside the family cannot be judges of that. And I have a serious distrust when somebody has to publish something to say something horrible about someone who can’t defend herself anymore and then EARN from doing it, and keep earning still. The earning part is what earns my distrust the most.
That said, I disagree about the none-of-our-business thing if she were indeed abusive. It should always be everyone’s business if the welfare of a child is at stake. I do guess you mean it’s because it’s something that cannot be proven given that it supposed to have happened in the past.
Interesting feature, though 😉 Do you have a copy of the book? That should be an interesting read.
First reaction when I saw your comment: “Wow ang haba!” Hahaha.
Anyway, I mean people should stop judging her and saying mean things to her as if they knew her and the event itself. I know child abuse is a very sensitive issue, but come on, that was almost 40+ years ago. The “child” isn’t a child anymore. True or not, it isn’t really necessary to bash Joan Crawford because 1) she’s dead already, 2) none of us knew her personally, and 3) no one knows the true story.
Anyway thank you! I just can’t hold it anymore (lol). And no, I don’t have a copy of the book. I’d like to read the original and the republished one, where she changed a lot of her previous statements (according to the articles I’ve read). Hahaha.
Let me know when you get hold of any copy 😉
Will do 🙂