Citizen Anna

She was the American Dream writ extra large--and we despised her for it

Americans love self-made men and women. And who was ever more literally self-made than Anna Nicole Smith? Described by acquaintances as a flat-chested teen, she shaped, nipped and tucked herself into a living hood ornament. She styled herself à la Marilyn Monroe and then, after fighting drug problems and ballooning, whittled herself down as a spokeswoman for TrimSpa diet supplements. According to her mother, she even invented her childhood, mythologizing her middle-class upbringing into a hardscrabble one, like Jay Gatsby in reverse. Feral, brazen and vacant, Smith was not talented in most usual senses, but in one way she was an...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!