Talk:Bombshell (slang)

Opinion
I'm not sure if this article is really NPOV. It seems like a matter of opinion if someone is a Bombshell or not. Pelago 13:27, 9 February 2006 (UTC)

Point of fact, I don't agree with classifying Monica Bellucci as a "bombshell;" the article (and the term itself) seem to me to imply not only a certain body type but also a kind of personal style; you can see where Anna Nicole Smith for example obviously emulated the look of "bombshells" like Marilyn Monroe. It's not a look that Monica Bellucci seems to go for. Atypicaloracle (talk) 06:40, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

Move discussion in progress
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:Bombshell (disambiguation) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RM bot 21:00, 21 December 2009 (UTC)

Etymology?
This article desperately needs an Etymology section. Just why is an attractive woman a "bombshell"? --NetRolller 3D  20:22, 20 June 2011 (UTC)

To my knowledge, the origin of this term comes from the practice of dyeing a woman's hair blond (though more a sort of yellow) using TNT which was packed into literal bombshells by women during WW2 (many factory jobs were filled by women during the war due to conscription of men), given that peroxide was in limited supply (as were most things). It's not a far leap of imagination to say that this would have likely lead to them being called "bombshell blondes" or "blonde bombshells". Anonymous Wikibroweser: 18 Feb 2013 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.104.130.226 (talk) 15:55, 18 February 2013 (UTC)

Merge attempt
Please see Talk:Blonde_stereotype Staszek Lem (talk) 18:07, 3 May 2012 (UTC)

Disputed sentence about painting on bombs
Concerning the disputed sentence. I did some searching and found news source mentioning girls painted on the nosecones and other parts of aircraft, and even on tanks, but I couldn't find anything about them being painted on bombs. The news coverage of soldiers during the first Iraqi War showed them writing things on bombs, but no one painted any detailed pictures that I'm aware of.  D r e a m Focus  01:15, 8 May 2012 (UTC)


 * If we could find some people around way back then and ask them, then we could sort this out for sure.  D r e a m Focus  08:12, 11 May 2012 (UTC)

IMO this is the case of "folk etymology". The term "bombshell" was used to describe some explosive effect way before movies, and IMO "Blonde Bombshell" was simply a nice alliteration to capitalize upon. Staszek Lem (talk) 03:46, 5 November 2014 (UTC)

The term "blonde bombshell" predates WWII by many years, as you see even from our article, therefore please don't re-add this statement, especially when coming from dubious sources, such as books published at lulu.com. Staszek Lem (talk) 16:26, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

nude image
What does the image add to the article? Do we need an image of every single person mentioned? This image of her didn't make her famous since it was only seen in French. Why not show images of her that made her famous around the world? We have nude images of Marilyn Monroe and others, we don't use them here though. This picture of Sophia Loren isn't used in her own article even.  D r e a m Focus  23:05, 5 May 2018 (UTC)
 * It does seem out of place in my view. That said...we could mention that these nude taboo shots LED these people to great fame and highlighted this label....like Hilton and Kardashian sex tapes of today. If there was some context to the photo it would make sense.... all by itself it looks out of place.--Moxy (talk) 13:38, 6 May 2018 (UTC)
 * A representative image of Loren from the time when she was considered a bombshell might be worth including. --Ronz (talk) 21:52, 6 May 2018 (UTC)
 * There was an image of when Loren was considered a bombshell, but somebody removed it. Oh, wait - it was you.  Please clarify your justification of BLP for an image that is hosted on Commons and is also used in the following articles without issue: Imagery of nude celebrities and Nudity in film.  The image is also used on another 18 global project pages.  Can you also explain why an image of a person stated in the article to be a bombshell is unencyclopedic - without falling foul of WP:CENSOR?  Chaheel Riens (talk) 22:05, 6 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Why is a nude image "representative"? — Arthur Rubin  (talk) 22:15, 6 May 2018 (UTC)
 * I don't see how it could be considered "representative".
 * BLP says that the burden on including such content rests on those arguing for inclusion.
 * I said when she was considered a bombshell. It could be a BLP and OR violation to provide other images that don't represent the claim. In this case a image from her first credited movie, and a minor role, where she didn't even use her own name.
 * I suggest reading CENSOR closely, Content will be removed if it is judged to violate Wikipedia policies.... A review of NOT overall shows the need for independent, reliable sources to clearly demonstrate encyclopedic value as well. --Ronz (talk) 02:50, 7 May 2018 (UTC)

I've given a reasonable argument for inclusion - Loren is mentioned and stated in the article to be a sex symbol, the nude image is included in multiple articles, moreover it's a publicly available image, and one that is hosted on our own server. Sophia Loren is considered a bombshell/sex symbol, the image is one of Sophia Loren. It's as simple as that. It doesn't matter whether it was her first or last film, not what name she used. To cut it down to the simplest term - is the image contained in the article one of somebody considered to be a bombshell? Yes, it is. I maintain this is not a BLP issue, but a straight up content dispute. Note that I am willing to be persuaded, but only for the right reasons, and claiming BLP is not one of them - you'll have to do better.

I suggest reading CENSOR closely, "being objectionable" is generally not sufficient grounds for the removal of content - you have not yet shown that the image violates any Wikipedia policy for a start. Using the nutshell for BLP - where does the above image violate "verifiability, neutrality, and avoidance of original research"? (My alteration in order to make sense.) Chaheel Riens (talk) 07:55, 7 May 2018 (UTC)
 * So you haven't answered the main concern... are these nude photos representative of the image of a bombshell.... are they normally depicted in this matter. Nothing to do with censorship but the norm. People are wondering the context of the photo.-Moxy (talk) 11:51, 7 May 2018 (UTC)
 * No sources have been offered to demonstrate is is representative in any context, let alone encyclopedic context, so all the assertions appear to be original research. BLP places the burden on those seeking inclusion, and this is most certainly biographical information - the choice of how to represent a claim of someone being a "bombshell". --Ronz (talk) 15:54, 7 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Wow, those goalposts moved so quickly and so far that they're no on a completely different pitch to the one we started on. I accept that the image is not going to be reinstated, simply based on the number of editors removing it, but the problem here is that by claiming it's being removed as a BLP concern you're opening up the thin end of the wedge to open the doors for BLP to be used to remove *any* image:
 * The image in question is of an actress who is stated in the article to be a bombshell
 * The article makes (sourced) mention of "large breasts" being one of the criteria for inclusion as a bombshell - ergo an image of said criteria is not unwarranted.
 * Nobody has actually clarified why it's a BLP issue incidentally - what part of BLP is being contravened here? Chaheel Riens (talk) 17:34, 7 May 2018 (UTC)

While I was one of those who reinstated deletion of image because it was removed with censorship-type edit summaries. However I agree with the real arguments here: the concept of "bombshell" is from the era when nudity was a taboo. Therefore this image is not representative of "bombshells" Staszek Lem (talk) 18:38, 7 May 2018 (UTC)
 * Well, kudos to User:62.98.238.19 who snuck in the nude photo in 2017, I'm surprised it stayed that long. A similar attempt to add a picture of Hillary Clinton in 2016 did not succeed.  .  Anyway, I agree that this picture is not representative of the concept and should not be included.--Milowent • hasspoken  20:17, 7 May 2018 (UTC)
 * that lng -- That's probably because statistics tells us 90% of wikipeadians are PFYs :-) Staszek Lem (talk) 00:15, 8 May 2018 (UTC)

Misuse of "Ethnic"
The term "ethnic" is nebulous in the second paragraph of the "History" section which reads, "Hollywood soon took up the blonde bombshell, and then, during the late 1940s through the early 1960s, brunette, exotic, and ethnic versions (e.g., Jane Russell, Dorothy Dandridge and Sophia Loren) were also cultivated as complements to, or as satellites of, the blonde bombshell." Every human is ethnic, regardless of his/her ethnicity; to imply otherwise suggests a biased POV.173.50.19.172 (talk) 17:37, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

about Lana turner
Lana Turner was one of the most famous actresses in the United States during world war II.She has a great box office appeal,And she's also called a sweater girl.So calling her a blonde bomb would be perfect.After Jane Harlow's death，Lana is her successor, and's cultural influence is outlined in detail in her personal entries. 14.221.119.189 (talk) 16:05, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Sounds like you have a strong personal opinion. This is an encyclopedia, not your personal blog. --Ronz (talk) 16:19, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
 * It doesn't take much. Her influence during and after world war II wasn't up to you or me, so please go over her Wikipedia page and discuss it again.If you don't agree with me, you can discuss it with more users instead of using your rights to retreat and destroy 14.221.119.189 (talk) 16:23, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

I have locked the article for 12 hours, because you're all overriding each other's edits. Chill out and reach an agreement here, please. Ritchie333 (talk) (cont)  16:33, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

To the ip: If you want to make a case that's something other than your own personal opinion, now is the time. --Ronz (talk) 16:39, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

：Lana's cultural influence is clear and clear in section 4 of her page：https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lana_Turner, and there's a small page that doesn't need your questioning.But here is to her popular culture influence has the sufficient introduction, is also belongs to my personal opinion?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lana_Turner_in_popular_culture 14.221.119.189 (talk) 16:45, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

：I am a Chinese Wikipedia user, and I do not know English very well. I used to edit Chinese Wikipedia more often, and I created the Chinese Wikipedia page for Lana.She also has a certain popularity in China.So you don't have to question her influence and popularity. 14.221.119.189 (talk) 16:51, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
 * This article is about the label of "bombshell", it's use and history. Is there something in the other article that's somehow related? I'm not seeing anything in Lana_Turner, or anywhere else for that matter. --Ronz (talk) 16:55, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

：Lana was the sweet girl of the time, and the sweater girl was famous for her, and she was also a gay idol. Isn't that enough to explode?Everyone has a different understanding of the bomb, Marilyn is a blonde bomb, relative to Marilyn.Lana also has her unique temperament and explosive. 14.221.119.189 (talk) 17:01, 24 September 2018 (UTC)


 * I hear cartoons of Tom and Jerry.Tom's girlfriend，The white cat is based on Lana.Diana Dors and Jayne Mansfield All of Marilyn Monroe's imitators，And Lana is different from other contemporary actresses, like Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable，She is the only blonde sweetheart with her own distinctive style.

14.221.119.189 (talk) 17:05, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

：bombshell,The term refers to a female star of the opposite sex who attracts male sexual excitement, and Lana is the sex symbol of the 1940s.So she and Rita hayworth,All the Bombshell of the time. 14.221.119.189 (talk) 17:28, 24 September 2018 (UTC)

A Google Books search for "Lana Turner blonde bombshell" returns several hits including this and this, although the latter namechecks Mamie Van Doren more. Ritchie333 (talk) (cont)  17:31, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
 * As a (so far) uninvolved editor, I will comment and join in.
 * The problem - as I see it - is not so much the addition of Lana Turner to the article, which seems reasonable, but the addition of an image of Lana Turner (and to a lesser extent Carmen Miranda) to the article. The article is small - barely more than a stub in content, and the addition of two more images pushes them well below the references section on my monitor which is set at 1920x1080, and make the article look bad.  They are excessive compared to the level of written detail in the article.
 * I would not be averse to replacing one of the existing images in the article with one of Lana Turner, but as I'm also of the opinion that Turner would not improve the article (although I also admit the change would not make it worse) I see little point in making the change - but I welcome discussion, as I can always be persuaded, as can other editors - which is how consensus is built.
 * I am against the current version with images of Monroe/Russell, Bardot, Harlow and Turner, as for reasons I state above I think they are excessive and unnecessary to the article. Whilst I agree that all are Bombshells by definition that does not automatically require inclusion, and in order to illustrate what a Bombshell (sex symbol) is - the previous two images were perfectly adequate.  Chaheel Riens (talk) 18:21, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Could you please quote what from those books establishes that the "bombshell" description applies at all to Turner (I cannot access the first, and don't think the second truly does unless it's in something that I cannot access from it), and something about the context from the source that gives us some idea of the prominence of Turner as such vs the ones noted in this article.
 * Yes, four images for such a small article seem to be too much. The image with both Monroe and Russel typifies the topic nicely. Bardot's seems a stretch. Harlow may be the person that was hyped as the first, but the picture doesn't demonstrate why she was considered one. The addition of the Turner image seems like the typical problem-editing we get here, and all this after-the-fact discussion seems a waste of time. --Ronz (talk) 19:56, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
 * I think Monroe，harlow,turner,They are all sweet and sexy.Not exactly sexy,And bardot Stupid sexy star. - 14.221.119.189 (talk) 01:59, 25 September 2018 (UTC)
 * This is a set of documentary films produced in Britain.Including five series,Each series has about ten sets.Are Hollywood's golden age stars,Including Monroe,Harlow,turner,Loren,Audrey Hepburn,, , , ,They proved to be the most dazzling female stars of their time.
 * https://m.bilibili.com/bangumi/play/ep126143?share_medium=android&share_source=copy_link&bbid=Lk1_GntKeUAlEiMWahZqWWpZaFE1BGcinfoc&ts=1537840921924 - 14.221.119.189 (talk) 02:05, 25 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Monroe and Bardot ,They are all sexy stars from the 1950s to the 1960s.And Jane or Lana,They are sexy female stars from the 1930s to the 1940s.So four pictures look like Very coherent - 14.221.119.189 (talk) 02:23, 25 September 2018 (UTC)
 * We are not discussing whether the subjects of the images are bombshells or not, we are discussing whether the images have a justifiable place in the article. You make a reasonable point about the timescale, but that doesn't address the fact that four images is too much for such a small article.  I still believe it should be cut down to just two images (as it is right now) - and the Monroe/Russell image meets that criteria.  That leaves space for one other image - which should it be?  Why should Turner get an image over any other eligible bombshell from that era? Chaheel Riens (talk) 06:55, 25 September 2018

I've gone ahead and removed the three portraits. I wouldn't be against another image that demonstrates a "bombshell" rather than a portrait of someone that at sometime was given the label. --Ronz (talk) 01:39, 26 September 2018 (UTC)
 * This is reasonable. As I intimated above, I think the Monroe/Russell image is the best of the bunch - two for the price of one, as it were.  I don't think the article suffers at all for only having a single image, and it's certainly better than the previous multiple image version.  Chaheel Riens (talk) 06:24, 26 September 2018 (UTC)

Misrepresentation of sources
Is it just me or is it really interesting to find that of the 20 women named, only eight are covered by the sources cited? Aditya (talk • contribs) 18:56, 15 September 2020 (UTC)
 * I reset the article to a previous version where names not referenced weren't there. Some names are in the same reference.   D r e a m Focus  19:27, 15 September 2020 (UTC)
 * The sources cited do not have more than a eight women named. I can see some 20 in this version too. Aditya (talk • contribs) 01:17, 16 September 2020 (UTC)
 * I just searched for the names of people on a Google news search and the word "bombshell" and added in some references.  Just do that if you want more references.   D r e a m Focus  04:11, 16 September 2020 (UTC)

I don't. But I am sure that WP policies and guidelines want more references. Those policies also recommend removing text that is not sourced and cited. Aditya (talk • contribs) 16:20, 16 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Added It looks like Ava Gardner, Carroll Baker, Brigitte Bardot, Ann-Margret, Veronica Lake, Raquel Welch, and Ursula Andress are not covered by any of the sources cited. Brigitte Bardot even has a picture to go with the article, despite a lack of sourcing. Aditya (talk • contribs) 18:05, 16 September 2020 (UTC)


 * I just added a reference for Brigitte Bardot from W magazine. Seriously, instead of wasting time complaining about something, just fix it yourself, rather easy to do.   D r e a m Focus  19:10, 16 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Not really. Easy is removing anything that's unsourced. The WP:BURDEN of providing sources and cites is upon the editor who adds or restores material, not the one who points out the lack of sources. Aditya (talk • contribs) 02:51, 17 September 2020 (UTC)