Elizabeth Taylor: The Accidental Feminist

Movies are individually conceived by writers and directors, but movie stars build their roles into brands--and the Taylor brand is startlingly feminist. In her breakout film, "National Velvet" (1944), Taylor challenged gender discrimination, playing a jockey who had to pose as a male to race. Her next landmark, "A Place in the Sun" (1951), tackles abortion rights. In "Butterfield 8" (1960), for which she won an Oscar, Taylor isn't censured because she's a prostitute, but because she chooses the men: she controls her sexuality. And the classic "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966) depicts the anguish that befalls a woman when the only way she can express herself is through her husband's career and children.

Taylor's personal life, too, is remarkable: financially autonomous, she supported her parents as a teenager. As an adult, she has supported the right of people to love whomever they love--regardless of gender. Her legendary friendships with her gay male costars inspired her to become a major fundraiser for AIDS research in the 1980s, before the cause became fashionable.

Drawing upon unpublished letters and scripts, as well as interviews with Gore Vidal, Robert Forster, Austin Pendleton, Kevin McCarthy and others, The Accidental Feminist is a long overdue reappraisal that will surprise and excite a wide range of readers.

M.G. Lord is an acclaimed cultural critic and investigative journalist. Since 1995 she has been a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and the Times's Arts & Leisure section. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including the New Yorker, Vogue, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure, the Hollywood Reporter, and Artforum. Before becoming a freelance writer, Lord was a syndicated political cartoonist and a columnist for Newsday. She teaches at the University of Southern California.