Today celebrities’ lives and activities are scrutinized by their fans, but many have also begun to scrutinize celebrity itself.  Reality television has enabled many to become famous for living their lives (or, of course, participating in a wide variety of competitions).  The internet has brought us tidbits and news far faster than any other format.  Many celebrities produce information real and fictionalized about themselves with their own novels, memoirs, advice books and beyond.

But these trends are certainly not new to current celebrities, who have always had to promote themselves and their work.  One of the figures most clearly using very similar techniques to promote her image was Gypsy Rose Lee.  Gypsy: The Art of the Tease, an installment of Yale Press’s Icons of America series by Rachel Shteir, offers a glimpse into celebrity in the past.  Gypsy Rose Lee is an American icon to many different individuals for the varied accomplishments in her life.  Similarly, there are many Gypsy Rose Lees, from the portraits of her created by the memoirs of her and her family members, her novels, and the famed musical about her life.  She was talked about in the press, her shows reviewed as well as her writing.  She even guest-wrote for American’s first gossip column while its creator Walter Winchell went on vacation.

Shteir works to filter all this information in her book, carefully examining all the stories and facts told by and about Gypsy in the efforts to present as thorough a portrayal of one individual.  But even still some elements of her story remain primarily unknown.  There is only one instance of one of her acts being captured on film, and since it was for the Hollywood movie Stage Door Canteen, it is certainly tamed.  Her relationships also remain unclear, as it seems most figures in her life have aggressively contributed their own stories about her relationships with them and others.

Not only did she have imitators in her time—both genuine and satirical—many today have succeeded her.  Today’s celebrities seek to present either many versions of their life story, or one life story that they disseminate in as many ways as possible.  For those who want to augment the current glut of news about reality television stars, Gypsy is a welcome look at the one of the greatest celebrity icons of the past.