The entertainment industry in the United States has millions of stories to tell, in addition to the productions they make, but one that little is known about is the one that revolves around the “Hollywood Sewing Circle“.
It is a group created by actresses from the industry who got together to enjoy the moment in a friendship that could go a little further.
As scandalous as it was unknown at the time, lesbian and bisexual women of the time would gather here to simply relax behind a facade that suited them very well.
It all happened in the Golden Age of cinema, where this set was a simple euphemism for Women could gather their friends and lovers in the same place and under extreme privacy.
The Hollywood Sewing Circle
“To outsiders, the phrase conjures up picturesque images of white lace-collared spinsters in rocking chairs, of porcelain teacups, embroidery, and small-town chatter. But for a handful of industry insiders at the dawn of the Golden Age of cinema, The Sewing Circle was something much more provocative.”
This is how Axel Madsen described the Hollywood Couture Circle in his book of the same name, one that prevailed between 1910 and 1969, when being a lesbian was prohibited in an industry where silent films were still an innovation.
They took that name ironically, since at the time it would correspond to extremely conservative women who got together to sew, however, the reality is that this excuse was just a front.
The houses that these women served as a meeting center for a community of lesbians, bisexuals or those who were visiting, who in secrecy could seduce or be attracted by the love that was prohibited in public.
Most of them led parallel lives, with husbands and families who helped them maintain a successful career in Hollywood, however, over the years stories came to light, some in which even personalities such as Marilyn Monroe were involved.
The creation is attributed to the German Marlene Dietrich, an actress and singer who is rated as the ninth greatest female star of all time, according to the American Film Institute.
According to El Mundo, she is the one who welcomed this community of friends, so that they could live their sexuality in peace.
Although the name, “The Sewing Circle” is attributed to Alla Nazimova, a Russian-American actress, screenwriter and producer who was a protagonist in the silent film era, Vanitatis reports.
The members of the club
Although it was a hidden club, over the years more became known about the Hollywood Sewing Circle, which had prominent members in its ranks.
The New York Times reviewed the book The Girls by Diana McLellan, which tells part of what happened and who was part of this private circle.
Part of it goes on to say, “Greta Garbo, the most reserved of all the great stars, called her lesbian love affairs “passionate secrets.” Marlene Dietrich, Garbo’s bête noire and a world-class extrovert, called a group of Hollywood women her Sewing Circle.”
Both had an enmity that led them to even say that they did not know each other (they had worked together), however, both were part of this circle and the enmity would come from a dispute over lovers, specifically Salka Viertel and Mercedes de Acosta, although McLellan suggests that it is rather because they had a romance that did not end well.
Another member of the circle, who met in private mansions or exclusive cafes, was Joan Crawford, a woman talented in front of the camera, but who was known for her relationships in Hollywood.
El Mundo points out that she even said that “she had slept with all the Metro stars. She just saved the dog Lassie.”
He even claims to have had a meeting with Marilyn Monroe, who visited the circle on one occasion, information about which came to light with the notes of his psychiatrist.
Other exponents such as Claudette Colbert, Barbara Stanwick and Abba Garner are also said to have been in its ranks.
The rules of the sewing circle
Something that characterized the members of this club such as Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford was that their talent allowed them to reach the limit in Hollywood.
Being in the top 10 of the best actresses in history, their talent allowed them to wear men’s clothing and live in sexual ambiguity, without being judged, although always maintaining a privacy that was foolproof.
This is because discretion was the first rule of the Hollywood Sewing Circle, one that they had to respect to stay in the club, but also in the industry.
They could not have unfeminine attitudes outside the club, especially those who were prohibited from doing so by contract or were in their “lavender marriages,” as their socially accepted relationships were called.
An example of this is Mercedes de Acosta, who married the gay painter Abram Poole in 1920, while maintaining a relationship with Greta Garbo, the “Divine”, with whom she lived a passionate romance that lasted 30 years.
“She was wearing a white sweater and dark blue sailor pants. When we shook hands and she smiled at me, I felt as if I had known her all my life,” he wrote in his memoirs, according to La Vanguardia.
In this way, these intelligent, free, talented and cultured women managed to keep their passions underground. Nowadays, it’s a little less difficult, considering that Actresses stopped being hidden women and became women of reference, such as Kristen Stewart, Ellen Degeneres or Jodie Foster.
