The Battle of the Bulge

By 1957, when the above pictures are taken, the Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield already had a lot of negative publicity due to her repeated successful attempts to expose her breasts in carefully staged public “accidents”. She had come a long way from the times when the prominence of her breasts led her to lose professional roles. (Mansfield breasts changed in size due to her pregnancies and breast feeding five children. Her smallest measurement was 40D, and largest at 46DD).

In April 1957, Hollywood was hosting a dinner party for the Italian actress, Sophia Loren at the Romanoff’s. Mansfield’s bosom again became the feature of a notorious publicity stunt intended to deflect attention from the Italian star. Photographs of the encounter were published around the world. The most famous image (by Delmar Watson) showed Loren raising an eyebrow at the American actress who, sitting between Loren and her dinner companion, Clifton Webb, had leaned over the table, allowing her breasts to spill over her low neckline and exposing one nipple.

The next day, the gleeful press termed it ‘the Battle of the Bulge’. Various reenactment followed as well, including one with Anna Nicole Smith (and NY DJ Sky Nellor) and a GQ photo-op with Heidi Klum.