Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage [Hardcover]

Raquel Welch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 29, 2010

Part autobiography, part personal philosophy, and full of practical advice for women of all ages, Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage is a book that skimps neither on entertainment nor on good plain advice.

She didn’t hatch out of an eagle’s nest, circa One Million Years B.C., clad in a skimpy fur bikini. She didn’t aspire to fame as a sex symbol. Yet, for many years after making her Hollywood entrance as every man’s fantasy, Raquel Welch was best known for her beauty and sex appeal. A private person, she allowed people to draw their own conclusions from her public image. Now, Raquel Welch is ready to speak her mind. And, with the luxury of hindsight and the benefit of experience, she has plenty to share about the art of being a woman--even men will find it enlightening to read about what makes her tick.

In Beyond the Cleavage, Raquel Welch talks, woman to woman, about her views on all that comes with being a member of the female sex--love, sex, style, health, body image, career, family, forgiveness, aging, and coming of age. Looking back on her life, she lets women in on her childhood, dominated by a volatile father; her first love, marriage, and divorce; her early struggles as a single working mother in Hollywood; her battles for roles and respect as an actress; and her daring decision never to lie about her age. Looking forward, she offers women a compass to guide them at every crossroad of life, from menopause through the empty nest years, to dating younger men and beyond. Along with bringing baby boomers into her confidence--she offers essential tips for staying motivated and positive past fifty, as well as divulging her secrets for fabulous hair and makeup--she even talks to today’s younger generation of women about the importance of carrying themselves with dignity and self-respect.

With warmth, humor, conviction, and honesty, Raquel reveals her approach to preventative aging, her life-changing commitment to yoga, her recipe for eating right, her skincare regimen, her flair for fashion, and much more. Deeply personal (Welch wrote every word herself--no ghostwriter), Beyond the Cleavage is Raquel Welch’s gift to every woman who longs to look and feel her best, and be at peace with herself.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Since her entree to the Hollywood scene in the 1960s, Raquel Welch has been a symbol of glamour and sex appeal whose honesty, high energy, and self-deprecating sense of humor are greatly admired by all her fans. She has won a Golden Globe for her role in The Three Musketeers, starred in many films, including One Million Years, B.C., which featured her classic iconic image of a cavewoman clad in a fur bikini, and played the role of a transsexual opposite Mae West in the cult favorite Myra Breckenridge.

Whether refusing to change her name to Debbie--because producers considered "Raquel" too ethnic--or to lie about her age, even to the detriment of her career, she has evolved elegantly over time into a true champion for women who defy traditional aging. In Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage, Raquel opens up about her internal struggles to age gracefully in the often-harsh spotlight of Hollywood and to make peace with the sometimes uncomfortable mantle of "sex symbol," at the same time dispensing precious tips to all women about staying young in mind and body. She discloses the challenges of hitting forty and suffering all the ensuing stereotypes; how to cope with fifty, menopause, and shifting gears; and continuing into your sixties, sometimes with the challenges of dating and decisions about cosmetic surgery, all the while laying bare her own experiences of aging and maintaining and successful acting career.

The book reveal the secrets of diet, exercise, and healthy living--including her early devotion to yoga and fitness--that she devised over the years, as well as the hair, makeup, and dressing tips that have allowed her to remain effortlessly beautiful into her late sixties. While her book will be a must-have for every woman in the baby boomer generation, her warm, often comically irreverent voice and her priceless advice, based on decades of experience in one of the toughest arenas for women, will have wide appeal. Raquel Welch remains one of the most vital and enduring female icons of her day. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Raquel Welch is an award-winning film, television, and stage actress. She has starred in more than 45 films including One Million Years B.C., The Three Musketeers, and Legally Blonde, as well as the Broadway hit musicals Woman of the Year and Victor Victoria. She is the author of Raquel: The Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program, an Icon Face of M.A.C. Cosmetics, and the current spokesperson for Foster Grant eyewear. She lives Beverly Hills.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Weinstein Books; 1 edition (March 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602860971
• ISBN-13: 978-1602860971
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

92 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Good!, March 29, 2010

By 

yeqotz - See all my reviews

This review is from: Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage (Hardcover)

I never expected to enjoy Raquel, Beyond the Cleavage as much as I did. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. Who knew that Raquel Welch possessed such an engaging and entertaining writing voice? Apparently, her editors had a clue. And how brilliant for her to stick to a subject for which she has such obvious credibility: aging and beauty.

This book delivers a beautiful, bright, and mature woman's perspective on such topics as yoga, menopause, plastic surgery, makeup, style, and relationships. It's not earth-shattering, expert, or wholly unique material, but it does provide a refreshing personal take on what it means to be a middle-aged or older woman in America today.

I will say that her publisher did her one disservice: using the subtitle, Beyond the Cleavage. It may lead people to assume that the book is just another ghost-written memoir about a sex symbol, when it is, in fact, a self-composed collection of Ms. Welch's valuable thoughts and experiences. I intend to give my mother a copy for Mother's Day this year.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars She Is Woman Hear Her Roar, April 1, 2010

By 

prisrob "pris," (New England USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage (Hardcover)

Who would have guessed that Raquel Welch was a woman of the day? A woman who is not afraid to speak her mind, but one who does not step with the masses. She has a 'thing' about the sexuality of today, but she is not a prude. She believes that women should be feminine and that is her right, she has earned it.

Most of us know Raquel as the sex symbol and actress, and that is how her career was born. She wanted to be a serious actress, but her beauty got in the way. She never really accepted that, but she did learn to stand for her rights. She was never in a nude scene and her career may have suffered for that, at least that is what her agents told her. Raquel lived in California most of her life and married at a young age. She had two children and she says that first marriage was the best of her four. At some point the marriage went awry, and Raquel went to Hollywood and starred in her first film. The famous scene of Raquel in a tattered bikini of sorts chasing prehistoric monsters. She moved on to 47 films and had a wonderful career. Her two children were left with nannies, and it took time for Raquel to make that up to her children. It was not until she was in her later years that they became a close family. She has friends and family and if a man comes into her life that will be OK, but she is not out looking.

Raquel gives us a of minefield of beauty information that is quite helpful. Eye and face pads that help with wrinkles. Skin care dos and don'ts, and the regime that she uses every day to maintain her youthful skin and appearance. She talks about clothes and dating and looking your age. Raquel is into healthy eating and exercise, she has been her entire life. She found Yoga to be a particular good form of exercise, and for those of us who have arthritis, she suggests yoga to help with painful joints. Raquel should have her own line of skin care, she would be the most informative of representatives. She is a great role model, although I don't think she wants to be in that role. She could be a real mentor to many of the young and older women of today. She has good common sense and the ability to convey that advice with a down to earth attitude. I am quite impressed with this book and Raquel as a woman. Raquel lives her life according to her morals and standards, and she is 'Woman Hear Her Roar'!

Recommended. prisrob 04-01-10

Raquel Welch Collection (One Million Years B.C. / Bandolero! / Myra Breckinridge / Mother, Jugs & Speed / Fathom)

Raquel: The Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program

38 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, April 2, 2010

By 

Rochelle - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage (Hardcover)

Raquel discusses cosmetic surgery enhancements in the third person as if she has never had anything done. Very basic info. She admits to wearing wigs and hairpieces because she sells them. The most recent picture inside this "new" book is 1982. I enjoyed her previous book "The Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program" published circa 1984. This book has duplicated most of that information. I would recommend her previous book but would pass on this one.

I pre-ordered this book and was anxiously awaiting its arrival. I kept receiving notices from Amazon that the publication was postponed (again). I was therefore surprised when I finally received it to see that most of the useful information was simply information that she had published in her previous book over 20 years ago.