Fun Finds: Morgan Fairchild's Super Looks

Oh, (fair) child... We've gone and done it again! During a recent trudge through one of Ohio's biggest book fairs, we came upon buried treasure. The 1984 publication Morgan Fairchild's Super Looks, one of many beauty books to come out during the 1970s and '80s in which glitzy celebs shared their recipes for bodily success and stylistic excess. You recall our recent tribute to Polly Bergen's tome and years ago we profiled the one by Victoria Principal. (We also got in on some of the men who did these sort of books, like Jim Palmer and Arnold Schwarzenegger!)

Truth be told, we could have gone into debt at this book fair, in which scads of books were piled onto tables (and yet carefully categorized) with prices no higher than $2.00 on anything not set aside in a special, small collector's item section. This is how it ran: Day One: $10 admission, Day Two: Free admission (the day I went), Day Three: $1.00 per bag, which you could fill up (!) and Day Four: $1 admission and you could take all the books you wanted to! That's when I should have gone since most people wouldn't look twice at the books I was really after. But a) I don't need any more (!), b) it's in another city from my own and c) I didn't want to risk missing out on little gems like the things seen here, which are only a fraction of the books I picked up.

Anyway... Here we have the introduction to the book, in which Ms. Fairchild recounts her un-beautiful childhood and the day she realized she could get a grown man's attention. (Perhaps I need a gypsy costume of my own! Ha ha ha!!

Yes, in 1984 we were still draping ourselves in real fur, though that would soon change. I wonder if she has anything else on besides the color-coordinated satin pumps...

The lower-right picture of Fairchild with the glasses and library lady-ish chain on them reminds me of a remark a friend once made to me when I posted a horrifying childhood pic on Facebook: "You must be the strongest, most well-adjusted person in the world to post that picture!" LOLOL

It's amazing to watch the metamorphosis take place as little Patsy Ann McClenny (born Feb. 3rd, 1950) morphs into Morgan Fairchild.

This pic seems clearly to be from Fairchild's Search for Tomorrow days as the manipulative, even murderous Jennifer Pace. I can still hear my grandmother any time Fairchild appeared as a guest on TV, "Oh, there's that JENNIFER!"

I don't know who her li'l friend is here, but I'd like to...

Due to time and space constraints, I had to limit how much text from this book that I scanned, but I have to say that her writing is fairly humble and compelling (and genuinely helpful as a result.) I figured we were in for a Brenda Dickson ego-fest!

"...severe hair styles without makeup look like Olive Oyl." (LOL!!)

This is actually the middle of two pages. It is a bit interesting to see her without the full-on war paint.

Skipping to the final result...!

"...if I wear the huge frames that are so popular, they make me look like a cross-eyed bug." By the way, the last "Quick Tip" is "keep your hands...out of your hair." Just watch almost any Real Housewife sometime. Their hands are NEVER out of their hair!

Here Ms. Fairchild demonstrates her technique for keeping her lipstick on throughout dinner in public. "Use your lower teeth and tongue to do the work your bottom lip usually does."

Interesting tales in here about a disaster that Ms. Fairchild had with her hair during The Seduction (1979) and Flamingo Road.

Baby's breath always makes me think of Shelby Eatonton in Steel Magnolias...

Fairchild punished the hell out of her hair in the 1980s, rarely - if ever - wearing a wig, so it's a miracle she was able to hold onto it even apart from the salon disaster.

"This is my innocent look." Yeah... she's known for that one!

I love this jacked-up look (which she refers to as "lightly fluffed!" Okay...)

I'd love to know the hairdresser she tells on in this section...!

The second Quick Tip made me chortle. I can see some bimbo using Miracle Whip!

And now for some of my clearly inferior friends who I wish to make look good, but not as good as me.... (not a quote. Ha ha!)

Damned if I can tell much difference in the lipsticks...!

And now to the Tracy Griffith/Stella Parton portion of our program. Cathryn Hartt is Fairchild's younger sister and an actress in her own right. Perhaps you caught some of her spellbinding roles such as "Waitress," "Secretary" or "Teleprompter Girl" (<-- b="" flick="" from="" one="" s="" sis="" that="">The Seduction

.)

Hartt segued out of acting by 1987, but recently made appearances in two short films.

I couldn't help noticing that the wire is bent in this gal's long, drop earring, but no one bothered to adjust it before the picture was snapped.

I know I am imagining this and that they did not actually put a piece of hot pink netting up around her head like a fancy kerchief!

The alleged makeup-free face of our author.

I actually made some of these faces while perusing the book... LOL!

I desperately want to make that top photo my Facebook profile pic.

These next two pages have quick tips for fingernail care...

...so naturally there is a photo of her with her hands hidden behind her head...?!

Get outta my way, bitch! Ha ha!  This is the pic that goes along with the Body Language section. You'd never know it from this, but Ms. Fairchild is actually only 5'4."

Oh, I'd forgotten all about Jake Steinfeld of Body By Jake. Did you know (as I just found out!) that he is the uncle of young actress Hailee Steinfeld?!

There were scads of these black & white shots of Fairchild exercising in all sorts of positions. Thank goodness none of the pages of my copy of Super Looks were "stuck together...!"

See kids? We really did wear leg warmers in the '80s! But they often were part of a whole ensemble (including also the requisite headband.)

Through the magic of yoga, you too can achieve the level of perfect "resting bitch face."

I'd love to see me trying to wear a satin robe against huge satin pillows... I'd have slid off the bed and wound up in the upward dog yoga position. Unintentionally!

Tell her to get her ass on that moon! (It was actually Morgan Brittany who once toured the country as Mame!)

Meet "Princess Di"...

Somehow the vintage lace dress warranted a soft-focus photo.

For some reason it made me titter that she felt the need to mention that this dress is the one she wore to go see Dreamgirls. How random...! And her right hand looks oddly misshapen here. Time to get out the paraffin and olive oil!

She suggests wearing this to the ballet! Lord have mercy... those sleeves would take up half the chairs on either side of her. Dig the patterned hosiery.

I love the way she looks here; the piled up hair and the slinky negligee.

Hey sis, wanna be in my book? There's room in the shot behind my hat so long as you help arrange my dress. (Actually, her sister did compose a glowing footnote, praising Fairchild's strength, discipline and goodness.)

The End!