R.I.P. Anna Nichole Smith

I have to make a confession:  When someone came around the other day and announced that Anna Nicole Smith (nee Vicki Lynn Hogan) had died, the first words out of my mouth were "good, I got so sick of hearing about her".  That was pretty cold.  I got a couple of strange looks, as that is not my normal attitude.  I might have responded the same way to news that Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan was found in similar circumstances.

My second thought was "boy, Astronaut Lisa Marie Novak must be happy, this'll bump her off the front pages."

It often seemed that watching Anna Nicol in the news was a bit like watching an accident about to happen.

I heard a piece this morning on Anna Nicole on NPR, mostly things I had heard before, but by the time it ended, I felt bad about my attitude.  She was a mother at age 16.  Grew up poor.  Worked as a stripper. Breast augs (!).  Playboy playmate of the year. Guess Jeans girl.   Loved her son, and her new baby. 

In short, she did what she could with what she had, which was her looks: riveting beauty at her best, and a blowsy overblown and ugly at her worst.  We saw her ad nauseum at her best and her worst.  We saw her looking like a gold digger when she married J. Howard Marshall II, a man over 60 years her senior and then fought very publicly with his son over the estate.  But apparently he was a Yale law professor, and nobody's fool.

So was she stupid?  She frequently appeared that way, but maybe that wasn't the case.  Maybe she was shrewd, and maybe she was smart.  I'll never know.  Some of the publicity was thrust upon her, but some she certainly sought. 

And so we are left with the memory of a woman who did the best she could with the hand she was dealt, and did pretty well for all that.  Depends on the criteria you use.  She is, after all, dead in her 30's.

And also--I wouldn't want to be in the public eye at my worst.  Nor would I want many  things that I have done in my life (nor some of the mistakes I make, even now)to be made public.

And so my views change.  She didn't have much peace in her life.  And so, requiescat in pace, Anna Nicole.

I tried to find a picture of her looking classy.  This is the best I could do.

Comments

[juliane]

I felt much the same as you when I heard of the death of ANS. I also came to the same conclusions after some soul-searching consideration. Could we be sisters, seperated at birth? Just remember you were blond when you were little. I remember.

[Faith]

According to the State Laws of Texas, Anna’s mother should at the very least be under investigation by CPS and Law Enforcement for her claimed criminal acts against Anna as a child. See definitions listed below for Child Abuse. Because her mother was a police officer, her awareness of the law makes this even worse, in my opinion. Further, those around Anna had to know something was going on, they to can be prosecuted for the failure to protect Anna from her mother.

We are all talking about HKS. Let’s talk about the criminal acts of her mother. These acts caused great emotional harm that had a deadly cause and effect to Anna. In a sense, her mother killed her, it just took 39 years to accomplish her goal.

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/child_protection/about_child_protective_services/

FAMILY CODE

SUBTITLE E. PROTECTION OF THE CHILD

CHAPTER 261. INVESTIGATION OF REPORT OF CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT

SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS

§ 261.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Abuse" includes the following acts or omissions
by a person:
(A) mental or emotional injury to a child that
results in an observable and material impairment in the child's
growth, development, or psychological functioning;
(B) causing or permitting the child to be in a
situation in which the child sustains a mental or emotional injury
that results in an observable and material impairment in the
child's growth, development, or psychological functioning;
(C) physical injury that results in substantial
harm to the child, or the genuine threat of substantial harm from
physical injury to the child, including an injury that is at
variance with the history or explanation given and excluding an
accident or reasonable discipline by a parent, guardian, or
managing or possessory conservator that does not expose the child
to a substantial risk of harm;
(D) failure to make a reasonable effort to
prevent an action by another person that results in physical injury
that results in substantial harm to the child;

[ROS]

WE ALL LOVED ANNA.

[mary whitsett]

I could not have said it better myself!I too would not want some of my past to be public.I am a grandmother of 6 and I have done some stupid thing in my early days , so I believe in not judging anyone.I try to see good in all people no matter as long as no law is broken or no one is abused.I look at Anna and say ,that could have been one of my girls or granddaughters but I would have been a good mother to her and tried to helo her and Daniel and not ride the welth wagon as it seemed.May she rest in Peace

[lisa]

When I heard I was really sad, right away, and starting this amazing ballad that will never see the light of day because it was all about Nicole and Marilyn and damaged beauty and celebrity and Jacquelynne (sic) Suzanne and G'd knows what else...and I realized mainly it was all about me so I showed my single stroke of good taste that day and destroyed it.

The coverage of her life and death shows that, as tacky as we think a celebrity can be, we ourselves are tackier.

[Francie]

Why are so many people glad Anna Nichole is not here anymore. With her profession you know that's all your going to hear about. You only have to listen if you want to. I feel that many people had taken advantage of her name and wealth and now her mother Virgie wanting to be a doting grandmother. I wonder if there's money in for her as hard as she is fighting for rights. Sure never heard about Virgie before. I believe a family member made the statement they were tired of Anna and the publicity they endured while she was still here. Makes you wonder.