Cass Elliot didn’t die eating a ham sandwich. But the lasting power of that urban legend speaks to a far darker story. Elliot possessed one of the most influential voices of the 1960s. However, while her big break with The Mamas and The Papas and meteoric career changed the LA music scene forever, it also entrapped Elliot in a cycle of fat-shaming, sending her spiraling into catastrophic weight-loss regimens. In this episode, we’ll talk about the music industry’s complicated relationship with weight, how crash dieting likely led to the untimely death of this music legend, and the true legacy of Elliot in pop culture.
This episode was written and performed by Lexi Pandell, a writer from Oakland, California. Her work has been published by The Atlantic, the New York Times, WIRED, The New Republic, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, Playboy and many others.
111: Jean and Jane Become Public Enemies (Jean & Jane Part 6)
110: Jane vs "Barbarella" (Jean & Jane Part 5)
109: Jean vs "Lilith" (Jean & Jane Part 4)
108: Jean and Jane in Paris (Jean & Jane Part 3)
107: Jean and Otto Preminger/Jane in New York (Jean & Jane Part 2)
106: Hollywood Royalty/Middle-American Martyr (Jean & Jane Part 1)
105: Dorothy Stratten (Dead Blondes Part 13)
104: Barbara Loden (Dead Blondes Part 12)
103: Grace Kelly (Dead Blondes Part 11)
102: Barbara Payton (Dead Blondes Part 10)
101: Jayne Mansfield (Dead Blondes Part 9)
100: Marilyn Monroe: The End (Dead Blondes Part 8)
99: Marilyn Monroe: The Persona (Dead Blondes Part 7)
98: Marilyn Monroe: The Beginning (Dead Blondes Part 6)
97: Carole Landis (Dead Blondes Part 5)
96: Veronica Lake (Dead Blondes Part 4)
95: Jean Harlow Flashback (Dead Blondes Part 3)
94: Thelma Todd (Dead Blondes Part 2)
93: Peg Entwistle (Dead Blondes Part 1)
92: Six Degrees of Joan Crawford: Mommie Dearest
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