Jamie Lee Curtis drops her top to make a point

[Seapharris7]

The hermaphrodite rumor...

Snopes say it is "undetermined," so does that basically make it true?

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Jamie Lee Curtis Rumor

^ I actually liked that article - it showed both sides of the argument.

What makes it a nice "rumor" is there are so many things about her that can be manipulated to support the idea, while there are just as many things you could say to also discredit the theory as just circumstance (like her name, her inability to have kids, etc.).

I like how the article points out that only so many people actually know the truth about it: Jamie, her doctors, and her parents... and NONE of them are talking. So while I think I'm pretty impartial - I think it's always something I'm going to question.

[Kathie_Moffett]

I heard that rumor from a professor at university too!

But what I heard wasn't the "hermaphrodite" story. I heard a more complex and interesting version involving a form of androgen insensitivity; that Jamie Lee was born genetically male, but with a congenital inability to utilize testosterone effectively in order to fully develop as a male in the womb. So, her parents elected to allow her to remain female--all fetuses are female by default in their earliest stages of development in the womb, and since nothing had been able to take place to shift her development into masculinity, they just allowed things to continue in the same vein. Jamie was given female hormones to further her development as a female from birth, but, being still genetically male she is unable to get pregnant. Etc. This actually seems quite credible to me, as it takes into account not only her name, inability to bear children but ALSO that she looks like a male in some ways: her height, her broad shoulders, her hand and foot size, her facial features. Yet, she's obviously all female, not a tranny.

The professor in question said it was an open secret of sorts in the medical profession, but that the tabs would never print it.

Who knows, eh. I love her face; she's not conventionally pretty, but she has such mischievous intelligence in her eyes and expression. Oddly perhaps, she's always reminded me of Annie Lennox and vice versa, though Annie's much more girly despite her androgynous style. I'd love to see them play siblings who solve crimes or something...

[MrsMarsters]

It is possible, I never knew she didn't have children.

[tkdgirl]

She does have children. They are adopted. But there are lots of reasons why women don't have biological children.

[ariesallover]

I heard that rumor from a professor at university too!

But what I heard wasn't the "hermaphrodite" story. I heard a more complex and interesting version involving a form of androgen insensitivity; that Jamie Lee was born genetically male, but with a congenital inability to utilize testosterone effectively in order to fully develop as a male in the womb.

Exactly the type of intersex condition I heard she had.

[thrpschr]

I actually really like her grey hair. It's a nice silvery colour, well-cut and I think it looks distinguished. If Richard Gere can get away with it, I think Jamie Lee can rock it too. She's aging really gracefully, much like Jessica Tandy, who was absolutely lovely even in her 90s.

ITA. I think it suits her very well and flatters her skin, and I think she's very good-looking - a handsome woman, if you like.

[Zee]

At some point, you're just too old to be photographed with your top off. At some point, it just screams of desperation.

Sophia Loren did the Pirelli calendar in her 70's and pulled it off. Not the same here.

[Beeyotch]

See, I don't know. I think Jamie Lee Curtis' shoot was a little different. Her photo is not so much trying to prove she is still "sexy" as Sofia Loren's was, just trying to project more of an organic acceptance and normalization of natural aging. JLC was once considered to have a sexy pinup status of sorts, now she's older but she's the same person and you see the real attraction to her is in her personality, her confidence and liveliness in her eyes.