SHOCKING, EMOTIONAL, AND EMPOWERING
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She knew she definitely wasn't in Kansas any longer shortly after the hit television show The Brady Bunch ended. Maureen McCormick had played the part of the flawless elder daughter, Marcia, from 1969 to 1974. While she was Miss Perfection on the small screen she was quite the opposite in private life.
One of four children she grew up in a dysfunctional household - her father was an abuser who ran around. This disharmony left her with deep feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. Despite the overwhelming popularity of the Marcia Brady character she portrayed Maureen did not feel liked much less loved.
Maureen had begun playing Marcia at the age of 14, and when the show closed she found herself a young actress in Hollywood with evidently nowhere to turn. What she did turn to was drugs. She became the ultimate party girl going to the Playboy Mansion and Sammy Davis, Jr's house. Sad to say she sank deeper and deeper into the quicksand of addiction until she offered sex for drugs.
However, more than happy to say that she is a survivor. It has taken the better part of her life but with the help of friends, medicine, and countless therapy sessions she has learned to accept who she is and find contentment. While her story is painful, frequently shocking, it also gives hope and courage to those who suffer. Listeners will be especially touched when they hear her voice tell us quite frankly how it was then and how it is now.
- Gail Cooke
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Trying to Find Herself
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Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, by Maureen McCormick, is a memoir of a woman made famous by her role in the Brady Bunch, as the eldest daughter, Marcia. The Brady Bunch aired from 1969-1974, when Maureen was 13-18 years old. The Brady Bunch was a wildly successful show that ran on Friday nights--I know, I looked forward to it every week.
McCormick struggles most of her life because of her role as "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia." (This now infamous line was uttered by the middle daughter, Jan, because she felt her older sister got all the attention.) McCormick writes: "Imagine being shadowed by a younger,prettier, more popular you," referring to her role as Marcia.
I mentioned that I looked forward to watching The Brady Bunch every week--now, I was 8 years old when it started and it was the first show of its kind. But, it was always a bit dippy and moralistic. For example, whenever one of the kids did the slightest thing wrong, the whole family had to gather and mom and dad would lecture. GAG.
The reason I mention this is that McCormick had a thing about being "imperfect" her entire life compared to the "perfect" Marcia. Now, I was a kid, but it was pretty obvious this was a TV show--not something real.
On the other hand, I would have killed to look like Marcia---thin, with long, straight, blond hair. Maybe that was the perfection part.
McCormick provides details of what it was like on the Brady set,including crushes and such. I felt that there were too many details--do we really care about when she first got her period and how it happened? Or that she was jealous that Eve Plumb developed breasts before her?
The book is enjoyable, don't get me wrong--but it gets 4 stars, not 5 because it should have been edited more. Too many details throughout, the book drags at times.
McCormick reveals her family history (her mother's dad had syphilis and passed it to her mother) and her own life that included drug use, bulimia, and depression.
When McCormick turned 50, she agreed to be on the Celebrity Fit Club, a reality series in which the stars try to lose weight. McCormick is very successful at losing weight and feels good about herself. She writes: "After spending my life worrying about what people thought of me, what they might think of me, and trying to present a certain image, I gave up and was just me."
Ultimately, Maureen McCormick was brave to share this revealing memoir with the world. If nothing else, it shows that perfection is an illusion and that we would all be much better off if we could simply accept ourselves for who we really are.
Nice work.
By the author of the award winning book, HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET.
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