Jayne Mansfield: The Real Brains Behind Hollywood's Blonde Bombshell Image That Still Obsesses Studio Bosses — And How She Created Her Own Brand Years Before Marketing Blitzes
How Jayne Mansfield successfully marketed Hollywood's 'blonde bombshell' stereotype revealed
June 26 2025, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
While Jayne Mansfield may have never seen the same levels of success as rival Marilyn Monroe, she has been credited as the brains behind the Hollywood marketing tactic that has helped skyrocket so many others to fame, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Daughter Mariska Hargitay's new documentary My Mother Jayne has not only revived interest in Mansfield, who died aged 34 in a gruesome 1967 car accident, but also served as a reminder that the actress was much more than just "the other blonde bombshell."
Career-Changing Decision
Mansfield died aged 34 in a 1967 car accident.
Mansfield, who claimed to have a genius-level IQ of 160, moved to Los Angeles in 1954 with her first husband, Paul Mansfield. Her famous curves turned heads, and it wasn't long before she made a splash in Hollywood – literally.
During a press tour for the film Underwater!, Mansfield made the career-changing decision to dive into a pool wearing a red lamé swimsuit. Reporters marveled at how the actress "had the genius to permit her bathing suit to split open."
Almost instantly she was branded as "Marilyn Monroe king-sized," and Warner Bros. locked her into a contract as their "threat to Marilyn Monroe."
Playboy Magazine Moment
Mansfield is credited for successfully marketing Hollywood's 'blonde bombshell' image.
She went on to pose for Hugh Hefner's Playboy Magazine, further solidifying her popularity and her brand.
While her career was flourishing, the same could not be said for her marriage. Mansfield split from her first husband in 1955, and their divorce was finalized in 1958.
Although she lost her Warner Bros. contract at the same time, Mansfield refused to stay out of the limelight.
Mansfield had the keen foresight in the value of endorsements and branding.
Mansfield's Attraction
Mansfield capitalized on Marilyn Monroe's strike from Fox Studio and signed a seven year contract with the company.
She routinely posed for photo shoots, sat for interviews and made public appearances – and it paid off.
When Monroe was on strike at Fox Studios over a contract dispute, Mansfield was approached by studio heads and signed a seven-year contact.
Fox Studios went on to produce the film adaptation of Mansfield's Broadway show, The Girl Can't Help It, for which she won a Golden Globe award.
As part of her contract, Mansfield, who was a single mom to eldest Jayne Marie, was encouraged to date fellow Fox Studio stars but forbidden to have any more children.
Mansfield organized her own PR stunts, including the infamous photo of Sophia Loren eyeing her chest.
Mansfield agreed, noting: "This town was built on glamour, not babies."
But a year later she settled down with former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay and later became pregnant, an act that enraged studio heads.
Once again Mansfield took the reins and staged her own PR stunts, including attending a 1957 dinner honoring Sophia Loren, which produced an iconic image of the Italian beauty gazing at Mansfield's chest.
Her former press secretary, Ray Straight, said Mansfield "would open a cracker box if she thought it would get the press there."
Straight added: "She had to have that spotlight all the time."
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The day that Monroe died, August 4, 1962, Mansfield was dropped by Fox – and her marriage with Mickey ended.
Naturally, Mansfield told the press about her relationship being over before she informed her second husband.
A year later, Mansfield pushed the limits once again when she became the first major star to appear nude on screen in Promises! Promises!
Despite the boundary-pushing scene, Mansfield's movies failed to capture the same success they once achieved.
One reporter wrote at the time: "She can sell newspapers and magazines, attract millions of television viewers, and draw crowds wherever she goes. But at the movies she's a big bust.
"It could be that the public got so much of Jayne Mansfield for free, that paying for the same privilege was too much."
