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Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage
Part autobiography, part personal philosophy, and full of practical advice for women of all ages, Beyond the Cleavage is a book that skimps neither on entertainment nor on good plain advice.
She didn’t hatch out of an eagle’s nest, circa One Million Years B.C. , clad in a skimpy fur bikini. She didn’t aspire to fame as a sex symbol. Yet, for many years after making her Hollywood entrance as every man’s fantasy, Raquel Welch was best known for her beauty and sex appeal. A private person, she allowed people to draw their own conclusions from her public image. Now, Raquel Welch is ready to speak her mind. And, with the luxury of hindsight and the benefit of experience, she has plenty to share about the art of being a woman--even men will find it enlightening to read about what makes her tick.
In Beyond the Cleavage , Raquel Welch talks, woman to woman, about her views on all that comes with being a member of the female sex--love, sex, style, health, body image, career, family, forgiveness, aging, and coming of age. Looking back on her life, she lets women in on her childhood, dominated by a volatile father; her first love, marriage, and divorce; her early struggles as a single working mother in Hollywood; her battles for roles and respect as an actress; and her daring decision never to lie about her age. Looking forward, she offers women a compass to guide them at every crossroad of life, from menopause through the empty nest years, to dating younger men and beyond. Along with bringing baby boomers into her confidence--she offers essential tips for staying motivated and positive past fifty, as well as divulging her secrets for fabulous hair and makeup--she even talks to today’s younger generation of women about the importance of carrying themselves with dignity and self-respect.
With warmth, humor, conviction, and honesty, Raquel reveals her approach to preventative aging, her life-changing commitment to yoga, her recipe for eating right, her skincare regimen, her flair for fashion, and much more. Deeply personal (Welch wrote every word herself--no ghostwriter), Beyond the Cleavage is Raquel Welch’s gift to every woman who longs to look and feel her best, and be at peace with herself.
She didn’t hatch out of an eagle’s nest, circa One Million Years B.C. , clad in a skimpy fur bikini. She didn’t aspire to fame as a sex symbol. Yet, for many years after making her Hollywood entrance as every man’s fantasy, Raquel Welch was best known for her beauty and sex appeal. A private person, she allowed people to draw their own conclusions from her public image. Now, Raquel Welch is ready to speak her mind. And, with the luxury of hindsight and the benefit of experience, she has plenty to share about the art of being a woman--even men will find it enlightening to read about what makes her tick.
In Beyond the Cleavage , Raquel Welch talks, woman to woman, about her views on all that comes with being a member of the female sex--love, sex, style, health, body image, career, family, forgiveness, aging, and coming of age. Looking back on her life, she lets women in on her childhood, dominated by a volatile father; her first love, marriage, and divorce; her early struggles as a single working mother in Hollywood; her battles for roles and respect as an actress; and her daring decision never to lie about her age. Looking forward, she offers women a compass to guide them at every crossroad of life, from menopause through the empty nest years, to dating younger men and beyond. Along with bringing baby boomers into her confidence--she offers essential tips for staying motivated and positive past fifty, as well as divulging her secrets for fabulous hair and makeup--she even talks to today’s younger generation of women about the importance of carrying themselves with dignity and self-respect.
With warmth, humor, conviction, and honesty, Raquel reveals her approach to preventative aging, her life-changing commitment to yoga, her recipe for eating right, her skincare regimen, her flair for fashion, and much more. Deeply personal (Welch wrote every word herself--no ghostwriter), Beyond the Cleavage is Raquel Welch’s gift to every woman who longs to look and feel her best, and be at peace with herself.
266 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1984
14 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Raquel Welch
6 books6 followersJo Raquel Welch was an American actress. She first won attention for her role in Fantastic Voyage, after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hammer Film Productions, for whom she made One Million Years B.C. - Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
August 4, 2018
In this autobio, Welch admits she's made some mistakes and then shares some of the things that have worked for her, which is great. It's troubling, however, when she admits doing all she could to avoid living her mother's life yet she proceeds to badmouth feminists who are simply fighting for the right to choose one's own lifestyle...
April 3, 2010
Loved it! Nicely written in a format of "just" sitting down and talking. Beyond the Cleavage is NOT a memoir, but advice from someone who has been around 69 years, tried various beauty products, had her share of life's ups and downs including single parenting, step parenting, marriage/divorce, menopause, surviving empty nest, dating, dating men with children, dating younger men, Yoga, diet and exercise, finding peace with herself, forgiveness, going back to God and being a career woman! This book offers advice to women of all ages on how to do age gracefully--with style and finesse. There's neat segments interspersed about Raquel's life, her regrets, mistakes, hardships and blessings.
A delight to read. Throughout the book there is a theme of teaching girls about dignity and self-respect. She talks about the changes she has seen--from the sexual revolution in the 60's to young girls giving oral sex because they don't consider it sex now. She talks about how we (older women) need to be more forthcoming in teaching our girls standards: hooking up, just for sex, potty mouth, chasing boys, dressing slutty, tattoos and body piercing. She recommends girls treat their bodies like a car or home. You'll reap the benefits later if you do. Let yourself be used and abused early in life and you'll look it later.
Women can choose to except getting older and do it with style or they can fight it with plastic surgery, looking worse for the wear, and other extreme makeovers. She doesn't come right out and say she never had plastic surgery, but she is not an advocate of it. She talks about various facial's, chemical peels, what worked for her and what didn't.
Surprisingly, she uses a lot of home products as she's had her share of bad peels and some products used for facials are not good. Good advice here.
She recommend "Frownies" for wrinkles. They've been around since the 60's. Sold at beauty supply stores for about $20 for a month's supply. I'd never heard of them. She shares tips that have been around for many decades that "we" have forgotten and opted for the quickest fix like Botox or plastic surgery. There's a cute story in this section, too.
Yoga! There is a section devoted to it. How she started and its effects on the mind/body connection. So true! She says no, we can't all be as limber as we were in our 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, but we don't have to sit on the couch waiting to die, either. Get up. Get moving. Keep your mind and body active. When the kids move out of the house, have something you want to do with your life ready to go. Women who feel they lived their life and no longer have a purpose, age faster and die sooner. Decide now and plan ahead.
The earlier you decide to age and look good, the better off you will be. Stay out of the sun! Moisturize. Eat right and exercise. You're body with thank you later. It's easier to prevent than correct.
She talks about hair and makeup. Her makeup routine was much more involved than something I would ever do. It was interesting to read about shadowing and how to use makeup to cover flaws. Tips she learned in the movie industry. Most she figured out on her own, but she did except advice from certain individuals along the way. She talks about her wig line. I have two!
Dressing age appropriately! She mentions actresses that she thinks are doing an excellent job: Jennifer Anniston is one. She chastises the marketing industry for not targeting women with the buying power. Amen to that! Fools they are. She mentions how hard it is to find great, stylish (non matronly) clothes for older women. Our figures (we'll never be a size 4 again) and how the clothing designers need to pay attention. So true!
She talks about menopause. Her ups and downs. What she tried. What worked, what didn't. She lists the vitamin supplements she takes. How when she emerged on the other side of menopause she felt reborn not washed up. It's all in the attitude. She lists face products she recommends: Oil of Olay, tips on eyebrows, lipstick color, hair color, etc.
In the last part she goes into dating, Facebook, the Internet, keeping her family and friends close in her life. Regrets. She briefly mentions her 4 husbands. She does not kiss and tell about the men she was involved with. That would not be classy. She recently sold her big house and downsized. Went back to church with a group of non-Hollywood type that except her as another person in the church. You go, girl!
There was so much packed in this book and it was easy to read. It's divided into 4 sections:
Part 1 Being a Woman
1. Behind the Myth (a mini biography)
2. The Art of Being a Woman at Any Age
3. Forty and Beyond
Part 2 The Healthy Woman
4. Healthy Menopause
5. Preventive Aging
6. Destination Yoga
7. Food and Your Body Image
Part 3 How You Look
8. The Skin You're In
9. Hair Hang-Ups
10. Makeup
11. Personal Style
Part 4 A Woman and Her World
12. Where Do We Go from Here? (Dating)
13. Family and Friends
14. Mama Duck...Passing the Torch
with a neat Afterword, The Spiritual Woman
Another favorite for This Reader. Some neat pictures in the middle of the book, too.
A delight to read. Throughout the book there is a theme of teaching girls about dignity and self-respect. She talks about the changes she has seen--from the sexual revolution in the 60's to young girls giving oral sex because they don't consider it sex now. She talks about how we (older women) need to be more forthcoming in teaching our girls standards: hooking up, just for sex, potty mouth, chasing boys, dressing slutty, tattoos and body piercing. She recommends girls treat their bodies like a car or home. You'll reap the benefits later if you do. Let yourself be used and abused early in life and you'll look it later.
Women can choose to except getting older and do it with style or they can fight it with plastic surgery, looking worse for the wear, and other extreme makeovers. She doesn't come right out and say she never had plastic surgery, but she is not an advocate of it. She talks about various facial's, chemical peels, what worked for her and what didn't.
Surprisingly, she uses a lot of home products as she's had her share of bad peels and some products used for facials are not good. Good advice here.
She recommend "Frownies" for wrinkles. They've been around since the 60's. Sold at beauty supply stores for about $20 for a month's supply. I'd never heard of them. She shares tips that have been around for many decades that "we" have forgotten and opted for the quickest fix like Botox or plastic surgery. There's a cute story in this section, too.
Yoga! There is a section devoted to it. How she started and its effects on the mind/body connection. So true! She says no, we can't all be as limber as we were in our 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, but we don't have to sit on the couch waiting to die, either. Get up. Get moving. Keep your mind and body active. When the kids move out of the house, have something you want to do with your life ready to go. Women who feel they lived their life and no longer have a purpose, age faster and die sooner. Decide now and plan ahead.
The earlier you decide to age and look good, the better off you will be. Stay out of the sun! Moisturize. Eat right and exercise. You're body with thank you later. It's easier to prevent than correct.
She talks about hair and makeup. Her makeup routine was much more involved than something I would ever do. It was interesting to read about shadowing and how to use makeup to cover flaws. Tips she learned in the movie industry. Most she figured out on her own, but she did except advice from certain individuals along the way. She talks about her wig line. I have two!
Dressing age appropriately! She mentions actresses that she thinks are doing an excellent job: Jennifer Anniston is one. She chastises the marketing industry for not targeting women with the buying power. Amen to that! Fools they are. She mentions how hard it is to find great, stylish (non matronly) clothes for older women. Our figures (we'll never be a size 4 again) and how the clothing designers need to pay attention. So true!
She talks about menopause. Her ups and downs. What she tried. What worked, what didn't. She lists the vitamin supplements she takes. How when she emerged on the other side of menopause she felt reborn not washed up. It's all in the attitude. She lists face products she recommends: Oil of Olay, tips on eyebrows, lipstick color, hair color, etc.
In the last part she goes into dating, Facebook, the Internet, keeping her family and friends close in her life. Regrets. She briefly mentions her 4 husbands. She does not kiss and tell about the men she was involved with. That would not be classy. She recently sold her big house and downsized. Went back to church with a group of non-Hollywood type that except her as another person in the church. You go, girl!
There was so much packed in this book and it was easy to read. It's divided into 4 sections:
Part 1 Being a Woman
1. Behind the Myth (a mini biography)
2. The Art of Being a Woman at Any Age
3. Forty and Beyond
Part 2 The Healthy Woman
4. Healthy Menopause
5. Preventive Aging
6. Destination Yoga
7. Food and Your Body Image
Part 3 How You Look
8. The Skin You're In
9. Hair Hang-Ups
10. Makeup
11. Personal Style
Part 4 A Woman and Her World
12. Where Do We Go from Here? (Dating)
13. Family and Friends
14. Mama Duck...Passing the Torch
with a neat Afterword, The Spiritual Woman
Another favorite for This Reader. Some neat pictures in the middle of the book, too.
July 24, 2025
This book was very misleading; by the cover and the title, I thought it was going to be an autobiography. To my surprise it is a health and advice book on everything from men to marriage to style and fitness, purely from her own experiences and not professional advice as she clearly states and advises to seek professional help. If it weren't for the misleading title and cover I might have given this book a higher rating.
August 4, 2016
Far more than just a movie star's autobiography, this non-fiction book is a road map of how-to-live-your-life with a positive attitude and good health. Of course, as you would expect, Raquel does reveal the inside dope on her childhood, marriages, romances, family, travels,and acting career. She exams her mistakes and seems to have learned a great deal from them. Many celebrity photos are included. Naturally, generous time is spent on revelations about careers: beauty contests, the pin-up poster that launched her acting career, pros and cons of various movie roles, the stage/Broadway, as well as insights about certain studio heads, directors, agents, casting directors, and fellow actors.
Part of what make this book exceptional though is that the author provides plenty of self help advice too. You'll learn about the benefits of Yoga as a body enhancing practice and there are numerous makeup and beauty tips too.
Written by Rachel herself, without a ghost writer, the book reveals a highly likable woman who comes across as articulate and well-read. She doesn't mention it in the book, but I've read elsewhere that she has a genius level IQ. It shows. She is primarily self-education since she married at 19 (too young she says now in hindsight) and soon was raising two small children as a single mom and launching an acting career at the same time. Her life was never easy, but it was quite interesting. After reading this book, it is apparent that today, in her early 70s, she is not only a savvy entrepreneur and businesswoman (best selling wig line, among other things) but also a wise, witty, and modest women who has come a long way from her early sex symbol days in Hollywood.
Part of what make this book exceptional though is that the author provides plenty of self help advice too. You'll learn about the benefits of Yoga as a body enhancing practice and there are numerous makeup and beauty tips too.
Written by Rachel herself, without a ghost writer, the book reveals a highly likable woman who comes across as articulate and well-read. She doesn't mention it in the book, but I've read elsewhere that she has a genius level IQ. It shows. She is primarily self-education since she married at 19 (too young she says now in hindsight) and soon was raising two small children as a single mom and launching an acting career at the same time. Her life was never easy, but it was quite interesting. After reading this book, it is apparent that today, in her early 70s, she is not only a savvy entrepreneur and businesswoman (best selling wig line, among other things) but also a wise, witty, and modest women who has come a long way from her early sex symbol days in Hollywood.
December 18, 2011
A very witty book! I found it interesting and found her personal opinions matched mine. Not alot of fluff but a good substantial read.
June 6, 2020
It was interesting getting to know a little more about Raquel Welch thru her book. It's mainly about her beauty and health tips, but she also adds in some details about her personal life and anecdotes from her acting career such as the time when she learned the distinction between colors and noncolors from Mae West during their filming of Myra Breckenridge. It was a lesson she never forgot.
July 24, 2013
Very motherly.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Worth a reread down the line too.
Was, and am still quite blown away by how much hard work goes into maintaining a Hollywood appearance even if one is born with good looks.
Her struggles to keep to her moral code in her movie choices were inspiring as were her schnippettes about her private life and the importance of family. She still suffers for the choices she made that affected her young family.
She keeps things pretty real.
Having lost my Mother when I was young, I can read this sort of book and feel that awful loss all over again and wonder if we would have had chats like this, had she lived. Times I thought I could hear my Mothers voice joined to the authors, a truly wonderful thing.
Thanks Mother Duck.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Worth a reread down the line too.
Was, and am still quite blown away by how much hard work goes into maintaining a Hollywood appearance even if one is born with good looks.
Her struggles to keep to her moral code in her movie choices were inspiring as were her schnippettes about her private life and the importance of family. She still suffers for the choices she made that affected her young family.
She keeps things pretty real.
Having lost my Mother when I was young, I can read this sort of book and feel that awful loss all over again and wonder if we would have had chats like this, had she lived. Times I thought I could hear my Mothers voice joined to the authors, a truly wonderful thing.
Thanks Mother Duck.
April 9, 2010
Have you seen Raquel lately!? At 69 she still looks amazing, which is why I would totally trust the beauty, diet, and exercise secrets that she describes in this book. Plus, stories on her life as a single mother in Hollywood and more...a must read for sure!
Want to read
April 1, 2010Just reserved it from the library. Can't wait!
September 27, 2015
More of a self-help book with splashes of an autobiography mixed in. Ms Welch imparts words of wisdom based on personal experience.
October 31, 2010
Went to a book signing and had my picture taken with Raquel!
This book certainly is not what I thought it would be about, but I am pleasantly surprised by what it is about.
This book certainly is not what I thought it would be about, but I am pleasantly surprised by what it is about.
April 6, 2012
I LOVE RAQUEL WELCH
May 4, 2013
wonderful honest book on her life assessment and the raising of her two children.
March 18, 2023
This was a very rambly book. Parts were fascinating (her life, her thoughts on the current age, her re-finding God when her mother died); other parts I barely skimmed (LOTS of beauty and health tips).
April 1, 2013
This book is FANTASTIC!! Though not an auto-biography this delightfully intimate book does cover various parts of her life in-depth, her thoughts on motherhood, ageing, friendship, younger men, fitness, makeup, skincare, cosmetic surgery, dating, menopause and HONEST observations about how trashy the Paris Hilton/Madonna/pole dancing effect has negatively impacted women.
Regarding some of the reviewers who express disappointment that some of her material is reprinted from "Raquel Welch: Total Beauty and Fitness" DO note that other authors also do this and that she DOES flesh out the material in greater detail here. I think it's a good call as the aforementioned book (A VERITABLE MASTERPIECE!) is out of print and unknown to many under 30's. Plus it is heartening to know that, unlike many other celebs who trend hop diets and exercise regimens, that the same tenets have worked for RW for so long and obviously so well.
As for her astute cultural observations, Ms. Welch has many and did what Ari Levy failed to do in "Female Chauvinist Pigs" , which was expose the stupidity of raunchy culture. I'm a huge fan of Rocky Welch and have followed her career since I found a copy of Total Beauty and Fitness at Treehorn Books in Santa Rosa, when I was teen. I still remember my college roommate reading the poses to me out loud and doing an inadvertent somersault during "Standing A." I was given this new book, "Beyond the Cleavage" for my 32nd birthday yesterday. JOY OF JOYS!!! What a FABULOUS WRITER!! No surprise, she is a TRUE FEMINIST. Two kids by 21, going after her career as a single mother, never being financially supported by a man AND never acting vulgar or trashy to get press. I wish feminism had made less room for the "lipstick is oppression" credo and later the sleazy corporate vulgarity of Madonna and instead made more room for the multi-dimensional class acts like Raquel. Feminism has turned too many women (especially under 30) off by not allowing alternate versions of "being liberated" into the fold.
I guess 2nd wavers just hated RW because she's beautiful as she sure was cast out without a second glance. And with all due respect, Camille Paglia one of the only 2nd wave voices to praise RW and get it right, herself wasted far too much time on the low life narcissistic antics of madonna to really do this great lady justice. RW proves that there is simply too much abject hypocrisy in second wave feminism. Feminists slammed sex bombs like Raquel Sophia Loren, and Erica Gavin, yet how much money did these same women pay their fellow sisters who were their nannies and maids watching the farm while they went to work? Did they ever fight tooth and nail to give them healthcare, unions or a living wage? Noooooooo...they fought to live like men, get the best deal on childcare and make money(see Leslie Bennetts...barf) not liberate women.
Thankfully some third wavers like myself are now appreciating that a woman like Ms. Welch can be beautiful, sexy, classy and a trailblazer without fitting into a prescribed box AND without being exploitative and trashy. RW also succinctly points out what SO many dating and relationship columnists gravely overlook-that men/boys these days are looking for a meal ticket and a free ride off a woman's hard earned money-even men as young as their early 20's!
She pulls no punches yet never comes off caustic and mean. She's self deprecating without self pity and just an all around entertaining writer. I, alongside millions of others, beg for her to write her memoirs! PLEASE!
Regarding some of the reviewers who express disappointment that some of her material is reprinted from "Raquel Welch: Total Beauty and Fitness" DO note that other authors also do this and that she DOES flesh out the material in greater detail here. I think it's a good call as the aforementioned book (A VERITABLE MASTERPIECE!) is out of print and unknown to many under 30's. Plus it is heartening to know that, unlike many other celebs who trend hop diets and exercise regimens, that the same tenets have worked for RW for so long and obviously so well.
As for her astute cultural observations, Ms. Welch has many and did what Ari Levy failed to do in "Female Chauvinist Pigs" , which was expose the stupidity of raunchy culture. I'm a huge fan of Rocky Welch and have followed her career since I found a copy of Total Beauty and Fitness at Treehorn Books in Santa Rosa, when I was teen. I still remember my college roommate reading the poses to me out loud and doing an inadvertent somersault during "Standing A." I was given this new book, "Beyond the Cleavage" for my 32nd birthday yesterday. JOY OF JOYS!!! What a FABULOUS WRITER!! No surprise, she is a TRUE FEMINIST. Two kids by 21, going after her career as a single mother, never being financially supported by a man AND never acting vulgar or trashy to get press. I wish feminism had made less room for the "lipstick is oppression" credo and later the sleazy corporate vulgarity of Madonna and instead made more room for the multi-dimensional class acts like Raquel. Feminism has turned too many women (especially under 30) off by not allowing alternate versions of "being liberated" into the fold.
I guess 2nd wavers just hated RW because she's beautiful as she sure was cast out without a second glance. And with all due respect, Camille Paglia one of the only 2nd wave voices to praise RW and get it right, herself wasted far too much time on the low life narcissistic antics of madonna to really do this great lady justice. RW proves that there is simply too much abject hypocrisy in second wave feminism. Feminists slammed sex bombs like Raquel Sophia Loren, and Erica Gavin, yet how much money did these same women pay their fellow sisters who were their nannies and maids watching the farm while they went to work? Did they ever fight tooth and nail to give them healthcare, unions or a living wage? Noooooooo...they fought to live like men, get the best deal on childcare and make money(see Leslie Bennetts...barf) not liberate women.
Thankfully some third wavers like myself are now appreciating that a woman like Ms. Welch can be beautiful, sexy, classy and a trailblazer without fitting into a prescribed box AND without being exploitative and trashy. RW also succinctly points out what SO many dating and relationship columnists gravely overlook-that men/boys these days are looking for a meal ticket and a free ride off a woman's hard earned money-even men as young as their early 20's!
She pulls no punches yet never comes off caustic and mean. She's self deprecating without self pity and just an all around entertaining writer. I, alongside millions of others, beg for her to write her memoirs! PLEASE!
July 1, 2018
It starts off slow and boring. Ms. Welch glosses over details that could have made the story exciting. She also doesn't paint a believable picture of her dad. However, the party starts when she starts talking about her health. I love the details she puts in about making your health a priority. Worth a read.
May 7, 2025
From the JetBlackDragonfly book blog at www.edenthompson.ca/blog
Yes, I am a dude and I read Raquel Welch's book, Beyond The Cleavage.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I expected a showbiz biography, but it's mainly a lifestyle guide for women. And if you are looking for a guide on what to wear, how to keep fit, and look young, this is pretty comprehensive. She goes into every area with quite a bit of detail: healthy menopause, yoga, eating right, skin care, hair, make-up, etc. I skipped over a lot of it but must say, she had some good advice from what I can tell. Her view is post-menopause, and besides Jane Fonda, I haven't seen many celebrities with books about the values of aging—not just upkeep but remaining vital and engaged all your life. Have you seen the cover? She was 72 and she looks amazing.
The show business portion was most interesting to me, about her start in films, and she did go into the "Cannery Row" incident, which is what I wanted to hear about.
In 1980, she was hired to star with Nick Nolte in the film of Cannery Row, and shortly into filming, was fired for being too old. She was 40! She sued them for wrongful dismissal and to be paid for her work, and she won. It turns out there was already a plan to replace her with Debra Winger once they got the financing with Raquel's name attached. Her next job was starring on Broadway in Woman Of The Year, which won her a Tony Award.
She is very candid, and her advice seems grounded. And I did get some tips on how to reduce the bags under my eyes.
Yes, I am a dude and I read Raquel Welch's book, Beyond The Cleavage.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I expected a showbiz biography, but it's mainly a lifestyle guide for women. And if you are looking for a guide on what to wear, how to keep fit, and look young, this is pretty comprehensive. She goes into every area with quite a bit of detail: healthy menopause, yoga, eating right, skin care, hair, make-up, etc. I skipped over a lot of it but must say, she had some good advice from what I can tell. Her view is post-menopause, and besides Jane Fonda, I haven't seen many celebrities with books about the values of aging—not just upkeep but remaining vital and engaged all your life. Have you seen the cover? She was 72 and she looks amazing.
The show business portion was most interesting to me, about her start in films, and she did go into the "Cannery Row" incident, which is what I wanted to hear about.
In 1980, she was hired to star with Nick Nolte in the film of Cannery Row, and shortly into filming, was fired for being too old. She was 40! She sued them for wrongful dismissal and to be paid for her work, and she won. It turns out there was already a plan to replace her with Debra Winger once they got the financing with Raquel's name attached. Her next job was starring on Broadway in Woman Of The Year, which won her a Tony Award.
She is very candid, and her advice seems grounded. And I did get some tips on how to reduce the bags under my eyes.
July 13, 2014
I don't read a lot of memoirs or biographies. I don't know if there is a proper way to review them, but I am giving this 5 stars as a woman-to-woman chat. Written by herself, without a ghostwriter, the book is an honest portrayal of Raquel's life beyond her persona as a sex symbol, including the early influences that shaped her and the challenges she's met along in life. She writes of her successes and failures with surprising candor and an upbeat attitude. I picked this up after seeing her in a TV interview and liking the conversation. It continued in her book and I finished this in a couple hours. Part biography, part advice, you'll enjoy an afternoon with Raquel.
February 17, 2015
At first I thought, "Oh, she just dictated this to a ghost writer." But she claims not, and her friendly, feisty, tell-it-like-it-is voice comes through loud and clear. I'm in my early 50s and am always looking for inspiration from women who are living/have lived this age well. I found Ms. Welch's honesty refreshing, her stories entertaining, and her advice worth reading. Reading this was like sitting with her on the couch and having a long conversation - definitely worth a look.
July 4, 2010
Had I not seen Raquel interviewed on Oprah, I likely would not have picked up this book. The interview was intriguing and I was curious. Some of the book is a bit light, in my opinion, but overall, her information and advice on fitness, healthy life style, vitamins, and how to be the best you can be, was actually very interesting.
January 28, 2014
Interesting to learn the behind the scenes story of the woman, always defined by her sexuality and being a sex symbol. Thoroughly enjoyable, she seems like the good girlfriend you would like to have when she writes.
August 16, 2021
I really liked the beginning and the end, when Raquel Welch talked about her family and her attitude to life and womanhood - with which I wholeheartedly agreed. The chapter in which she described her troubles with her climacteric, her experiences, was also interesting for me - my being in the 40s now. But I skipped the chapters about make-up (which I don't wear), hair (I cut my hair short and I love it all silvered) and styling (I already found my personal style). So in the end, it was a so-so book. Some really good advice but also much stuff that didn't really interest me.
June 6, 2021
Excellent read for women in the middle-age years! Part biography, part psychology/self-help, part beauty/fitness, this book hits all the bases that women are facing in entering the midlife/menopausal years. She discusses various trends, techniques, and issues and without divulging too much personal information relates them to her life. Highly recommend this book!
June 16, 2023
Quick, interesting and fun in parts
December 6, 2025
about a hot star aging
July 30, 2011
This book came out last year (2010) when actress Raquel Welch was sixty-nine years old. It seems unbelievable as it feels like just yesterday when I was a child watching the movie “One Million Years B.C.” on television with my parents. At that time, she was declared “the most beautiful woman in the world.”
This 1966 movie by Twentieth Century Fox changed Raquel Welch making her a very famous sex symbol. However, as she explains in the book, she was actually a young single mother raising a son and daughter on her own. Having married at 17, the marriage did not last. Later on, Raquel ended up marrying a total of four times. She mentions that she mostly had monogamous long-term relationships. In many ways, she was very conservative. By the end of her fourth marriage, she finally learned to be on her own without a man on her shoulder and found that she liked her independence very much.
This book is part memoir and part self-help book. When she was a young starlet, it was difficult having a movie career and being a mom, as studios were not accommodating to her and her children at all. It was hard trying traveling and making movies and taking care of two small ones. She said that she watched as slowly the studios became more accommodating to women. But, when she was young, this was unheard of. There was also a lot of pressure for Raquel to show nudity in some of her films, but she stood her ground and never took off her clothes in any of her films. Probably the bikini she wrote in the 1966 film “One Million Years B.C.” was as nude as she would get. Raquel says that she still has that bikini in her collection along with most other costumes she wore in several of her movies.
I never considered Raquel Welch a great actress but she always seemed like she was a pleasant lady. Reading her book, made me that much more fond for her. She was always very private and the tabloids never seemed to have much to say about her, except for showing strikingly beautiful photos of her. She wrote about her beauty tips, diet and exercise. She is a big fan of yoga and that also made me think of singer Madonna who also engages in yoga to keep in shape.
I liked that she wrote about living through the era of the beginning of the feminist movement. Ms. Welch talks about dating when you are in your fifties. She wrote about menopause and how it affected her.
She wrote about motherhood. She wrote about how her divorce from her first husband Jim affected her children. When her son Damon was a teenager, he became difficult, as he resented that his parents were divorced. She writes very fondly about her daughter Tahnee and mentions that the public knows her from her role in the movie “Cocoon.” She also mentions how her daughter does not listen to her, but still she feels like a mother in writing this book and talking woman-to-woman to her readers. And she mentions – a few times – how much she wishes she had some grandchildren!
She says that she was not always the best mother and realizes how difficult it may have been for her children to live with a celebrity mom who was often traveling on location for films. She said that one time when her son was a young boy, he asked her why she could not just be a “normal” mom.
She writes about the relationship she had with her own parents. Her father was stern and had a temper. Her mother was sweet, but strong. After her father died suddenly in his sixties, years later she helped her mother hook up with her high school sweetheart and they married. She also writes about her relationship with her siblings, in particular her sister Gayle.
This book was a lot of fun and insightful too. Getting to know this actress was fun too. She says that she wrote the book herself without a ghostwriter and she says that she gained weight sitting at the computer. I can relate to that one! She writes as if she’s sitting down to lunch with her readers, which makes me wish I could actually sit down and have lunch with Ms. Welch. I thank her for letting me into her life.
This 1966 movie by Twentieth Century Fox changed Raquel Welch making her a very famous sex symbol. However, as she explains in the book, she was actually a young single mother raising a son and daughter on her own. Having married at 17, the marriage did not last. Later on, Raquel ended up marrying a total of four times. She mentions that she mostly had monogamous long-term relationships. In many ways, she was very conservative. By the end of her fourth marriage, she finally learned to be on her own without a man on her shoulder and found that she liked her independence very much.
This book is part memoir and part self-help book. When she was a young starlet, it was difficult having a movie career and being a mom, as studios were not accommodating to her and her children at all. It was hard trying traveling and making movies and taking care of two small ones. She said that she watched as slowly the studios became more accommodating to women. But, when she was young, this was unheard of. There was also a lot of pressure for Raquel to show nudity in some of her films, but she stood her ground and never took off her clothes in any of her films. Probably the bikini she wrote in the 1966 film “One Million Years B.C.” was as nude as she would get. Raquel says that she still has that bikini in her collection along with most other costumes she wore in several of her movies.
I never considered Raquel Welch a great actress but she always seemed like she was a pleasant lady. Reading her book, made me that much more fond for her. She was always very private and the tabloids never seemed to have much to say about her, except for showing strikingly beautiful photos of her. She wrote about her beauty tips, diet and exercise. She is a big fan of yoga and that also made me think of singer Madonna who also engages in yoga to keep in shape.
I liked that she wrote about living through the era of the beginning of the feminist movement. Ms. Welch talks about dating when you are in your fifties. She wrote about menopause and how it affected her.
She wrote about motherhood. She wrote about how her divorce from her first husband Jim affected her children. When her son Damon was a teenager, he became difficult, as he resented that his parents were divorced. She writes very fondly about her daughter Tahnee and mentions that the public knows her from her role in the movie “Cocoon.” She also mentions how her daughter does not listen to her, but still she feels like a mother in writing this book and talking woman-to-woman to her readers. And she mentions – a few times – how much she wishes she had some grandchildren!
She says that she was not always the best mother and realizes how difficult it may have been for her children to live with a celebrity mom who was often traveling on location for films. She said that one time when her son was a young boy, he asked her why she could not just be a “normal” mom.
She writes about the relationship she had with her own parents. Her father was stern and had a temper. Her mother was sweet, but strong. After her father died suddenly in his sixties, years later she helped her mother hook up with her high school sweetheart and they married. She also writes about her relationship with her siblings, in particular her sister Gayle.
This book was a lot of fun and insightful too. Getting to know this actress was fun too. She says that she wrote the book herself without a ghostwriter and she says that she gained weight sitting at the computer. I can relate to that one! She writes as if she’s sitting down to lunch with her readers, which makes me wish I could actually sit down and have lunch with Ms. Welch. I thank her for letting me into her life.
April 30, 2020
Worth the read very much 👍🏽
May 27, 2010
In the preface, she states she does "not recognize our country anymore, or the role of women in this world of vanishing morals.". She wants to impart a message to women of her personal philosophies on being a woman, health strategies as we age, personal appearance, and the future for women. She sets out to destroy a myth of herself as a sex symbol. I really felt she was authentic throughout this book - while I didn't agree with everything, I can appreciate her honesty of telling her story and hoping to provide some worthwhile lessons for others. She definitely embraces her feminity, though she doesn't define herself solely by it, and I'm more similar to her in terms of feeling that the girls of today's generation may be on a slippery slope with regards to some of their choices with their bodies.
Here are some gems from the book:
p. 13 "The essence of the female persona [is:] concentrating on our strong suit and shaping our hand into a winning streak."
p 29-30 "to be born a woman and to try to live up to the expectations! The worst part is simply coming to grips with what womanhood demands without getting discouraged. It's a spectacular part...who else good enable, nurture, appease, inspire and spread the feeling to others that life is worth living. That's why God created woman!"
p. 62 "We all have an inner voice, call it intuition, that lets us know exactly how old or young we truly are and how we feel about it. As you round each year, it becomes clearer that real insight comes from that voice within. Listen to it and ignore the outside judgments and influences. It's up to you to recognize precisely who you are and what you want out of life. Don't be persuaded otherwise by a number. Just focus in on your own strengths and set your sights on achieving your goals."
p. 153 - When she met Princess Diana, Her Highness imparted the message to Racquel that "we are who we think we are" and "beauty is an attitude."
p. 263 - don't make the mistake of taking things too personally..."open [your:] heart up to [your:] innermost thoughts and to that same inner self in others. Ther is so much to loe and to embrace in this world."
p. 263 "True wisdom, more often that not, is the sure acknowledgment that we don't know...that we are not in control...a little humility opens the door to seeing things more clearly....It's as though we humans need to get out of our own way. And put ourselves in God's hands."
Here are some gems from the book:
p. 13 "The essence of the female persona [is:] concentrating on our strong suit and shaping our hand into a winning streak."
p 29-30 "to be born a woman and to try to live up to the expectations! The worst part is simply coming to grips with what womanhood demands without getting discouraged. It's a spectacular part...who else good enable, nurture, appease, inspire and spread the feeling to others that life is worth living. That's why God created woman!"
p. 62 "We all have an inner voice, call it intuition, that lets us know exactly how old or young we truly are and how we feel about it. As you round each year, it becomes clearer that real insight comes from that voice within. Listen to it and ignore the outside judgments and influences. It's up to you to recognize precisely who you are and what you want out of life. Don't be persuaded otherwise by a number. Just focus in on your own strengths and set your sights on achieving your goals."
p. 153 - When she met Princess Diana, Her Highness imparted the message to Racquel that "we are who we think we are" and "beauty is an attitude."
p. 263 - don't make the mistake of taking things too personally..."open [your:] heart up to [your:] innermost thoughts and to that same inner self in others. Ther is so much to loe and to embrace in this world."
p. 263 "True wisdom, more often that not, is the sure acknowledgment that we don't know...that we are not in control...a little humility opens the door to seeing things more clearly....It's as though we humans need to get out of our own way. And put ourselves in God's hands."
April 14, 2016
Raquel's book is just like her public persona--she's a big tease that reveals a little but doesn't even get close to going all the way. This book is not a memoir, as she makes clear early on. It's her giving tips to women for how to live a happy, beautiful life--with a few stories of her life and career mixed in. Too bad because she should dish on the many famous people she knew and slept with.
While I admire her politically incorrect stances (she's almost conservative in being very pro-marriage, anti-hookups, etc.) she doesn't seem to understand that her life has not lived up to what she preaches. Married and divorced four times, she barely alludes to some of her husbands here. She proclaims that family comes first, but often left her kids for weeks or months at a time during her career height. She preaches modesty in clothing, yet is the one who started the seductive dress that turned men on. She says she can't understand young people sleeping around with strangers today, yet she alludes to a number of famous stars that she went to bed with (without giving any details) and falls quickly for guys 30 years younger.
Raquel does know how to turn a phrase and used very clever wording in describing one-sentence intimate details of a few liaisons. Dean Martin was "laid back...and had a way of making you come to him." Richard Burton was a "heat-seeking missile." Elvis "was on hold waiting to be ignited." Tom Jones had vocals that "will pin you to the wall." Her entendres provide a chuckle but why isn't this woman writing a full memoir where she spills the details of the famous men that romanced her? Most are dead so she has nothing to lose.
Even some of her health advice is surprisingly enticing, she just doesn't have enough detail or science to back it up. Every day positioning yourself upside down to have blood rush to your glands and head? Okay. Never eating protein and carbs in the same meal? Odd. Oil of Olay every morning and night for 50 years? Really--that's her secret? I have a feeling that surrounding herself with hair, makeup, and style experts has made her glow much more than a cheap moisturizer we can all buy at WalMart.
Please, Raquel, write a real memoir and dish! Spill it all. You write well and know how to tease us...it's time to go beyond the cleavage and go all the way on paper!
While I admire her politically incorrect stances (she's almost conservative in being very pro-marriage, anti-hookups, etc.) she doesn't seem to understand that her life has not lived up to what she preaches. Married and divorced four times, she barely alludes to some of her husbands here. She proclaims that family comes first, but often left her kids for weeks or months at a time during her career height. She preaches modesty in clothing, yet is the one who started the seductive dress that turned men on. She says she can't understand young people sleeping around with strangers today, yet she alludes to a number of famous stars that she went to bed with (without giving any details) and falls quickly for guys 30 years younger.
Raquel does know how to turn a phrase and used very clever wording in describing one-sentence intimate details of a few liaisons. Dean Martin was "laid back...and had a way of making you come to him." Richard Burton was a "heat-seeking missile." Elvis "was on hold waiting to be ignited." Tom Jones had vocals that "will pin you to the wall." Her entendres provide a chuckle but why isn't this woman writing a full memoir where she spills the details of the famous men that romanced her? Most are dead so she has nothing to lose.
Even some of her health advice is surprisingly enticing, she just doesn't have enough detail or science to back it up. Every day positioning yourself upside down to have blood rush to your glands and head? Okay. Never eating protein and carbs in the same meal? Odd. Oil of Olay every morning and night for 50 years? Really--that's her secret? I have a feeling that surrounding herself with hair, makeup, and style experts has made her glow much more than a cheap moisturizer we can all buy at WalMart.
Please, Raquel, write a real memoir and dish! Spill it all. You write well and know how to tease us...it's time to go beyond the cleavage and go all the way on paper!
January 19, 2015
I became aware of Beyond the Cleavage while listening to Oprah on Sirius radio. As a baby boomer, I could relate to parts of the Oprah interview with the aging actress... and found the title intriguing.
I got a copy from my local library along with Robin Given's Grace Will Lead Me home. (a very relatable memoir; even though I share very little in common with the author. While I applaud Welch for venturing to put "in her own voice" a book that chronicle her personal journey; I found myself skipping through much of it because while also a baby boomers her writing is redundant and of an ethnocentric view.
For example: Raquel Welch is a Hollywood "sex symbol"/ I related more to the "flower power" group she often referenced. She was married 4 times and struggled with balancing career and motherhood especially during the children's formative years/I, on the other hand, with the blessing of my lover/"baby's daddy" worked from home while volunteering as a community activist. Welch, as an "olive" skin woman shared beauty tips mainly for European women/I as a dark skin beauty didn't relate to much of her beauty tips.
However, I could relate to growing up with a demanding strict , abusive, Spanish speaking father and docile mother, I could relate to her morale message and I also related to her inferences that its never too late to strive to live the life you always wanted.
I got a copy from my local library along with Robin Given's Grace Will Lead Me home. (a very relatable memoir; even though I share very little in common with the author. While I applaud Welch for venturing to put "in her own voice" a book that chronicle her personal journey; I found myself skipping through much of it because while also a baby boomers her writing is redundant and of an ethnocentric view.
For example: Raquel Welch is a Hollywood "sex symbol"/ I related more to the "flower power" group she often referenced. She was married 4 times and struggled with balancing career and motherhood especially during the children's formative years/I, on the other hand, with the blessing of my lover/"baby's daddy" worked from home while volunteering as a community activist. Welch, as an "olive" skin woman shared beauty tips mainly for European women/I as a dark skin beauty didn't relate to much of her beauty tips.
However, I could relate to growing up with a demanding strict , abusive, Spanish speaking father and docile mother, I could relate to her morale message and I also related to her inferences that its never too late to strive to live the life you always wanted.
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