Remembering Mae West: A Woman Who Dared Before Anyone Else Did Born on August 17, 1893, Mae West would be 132 years old today. Though she passed away in 1980 at the age of 87, her influence remains unforgettable: bold, brassy, and decades ahead of her time. Mae wasn’t just a sex symbol. She was a cultural disruptor. At a time when women were expected to be quiet and demure, Mae strutted onto stage and screen with one-liners that scorched the patriarchy and flirted with taboos. She didn’t just pu