Mena Suvari, A Bright American Beauty, Blonde Estonian Roots

Precious is the film where you not only fantasize about the actress involved and learn an important life lesson from the story but her beauty also transports you to a life that you wished you could have lived as opposed to the one that you are confined in.

An intensely beautiful actress laced with innocence like Mena Suvari can do that for you as she did for many when she starred in American Beauty.

fciwomenswrestling.com, femcompetitor.com article, DreamWorks Pictures photo credit

American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a 42-year-old advertising executive who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter’s best friend, Angela (Mena Suvari).

Now for the learning part.

The film is described by academics as a satire of American middle-class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction; analysis has focused on the film’s explorations of romantic and paternal love, sexuality, beauty, materialism, self-liberation, and redemption.

For some of us it was far simpler than that.

What would life be like with a beautiful sweet girl like that?

Mena is an American actress, fashion designer, and model.

Our American beauty was born in Newport, Rhode Island on February 13, 1979, the daughter of a nurse and psychiatrist.

She graduated from Providence High School in Burbank, California class of 1997.

She made her film debut in the drama Nowhere (1997). She achieved international fame for her roles as Angela Hayes in American Beauty and Heather Gardner in American Pie (both 1999), the former earning her a BAFTA Award nomination.

One of her more famous roles was when she appeared in Six Feet Under 2001-2005.

Mena was raised in a Rhode Island home that was built in 1870 and had early aspirations of designs on becoming an archaeologist. She and her brothers used to dig holes in their backyard, looking for buried treasure.

Later she moved to Charleston, South Carolina where she attended a nationwide modeling competition that landed her a contract with Wilhelmina Models.

It is understandable that the world is fascinated with her as well.

She was named #69 on the Maxim magazine “Hot 100 of 2005” list, #73 in 2007 and number 52 in 2008.

High praise indeed and when praise of that stature roles in, inevitably you become a brand ambassador and role model.

She was once quoted as expressing, “One of the things you learn being in the public eye is that you have the ability to raise awareness about serious issues, and, in the process, really help people.”

Suvari is a model for Lancôme cosmetics and print ads for Lancôme Paris Adaptîve and has been featured in several fashion blogs and magazines such as Vogue. Our blonde beauty also plays on the World Poker Tour in the Hollywood Home games for the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

She is also active in female empowerment issues.

Mena is involved with several charities whose cause is breast cancer, the “End Violence Against Women” campaign, and tours high schools as a “Circle Of Friends” spokesperson, encouraging teenagers to quit smoking.

“Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it’s at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored.”… Earl Nightingale

Her last name, “Suvari”, is Estonian.

It’s often been reported that approximately fifty percent of the women there are blonde.

Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a sovereign state in Northern Europe.

It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland with Finland on the other side, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia. Across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden in the west and Finland in the north.

The territory of Estonia consists of a mainland and 2,222 islands in the Baltic Sea.

The territory of Estonia has been inhabited since at least 9000 BC. Ancient Estonians were some of the last European pagans, and were Christianized during a crusade in the 13th century.

Like Mena evolved from her teen foundation in American Beauty, Estonia has beautifully and quietly evolved into a global masterpiece.

Estonia is a developed country with an advanced, high-income economy that as of 2011 is among the fastest growing in the European Union.

It gets even better.

The 2015 PISA test places Estonian high school students 3rd in the world, behind Singapore and Japan. Citizens of Estonia are provided with universal health care, free education, and the longest-paid maternity leave in the OECD.

Before this writing, how much did you know about Estonia?

You are impressed, true?

So are the global travel experts at Lonely Planet. If any group should know an outstanding country when they see one, it’s them. They express, “Estonia doesn’t have to struggle to find a point of difference: it’s completely unique. It shares a similar geography and history with Latvia and Lithuania, but culturally it’s distinct. Its closest ethnic and linguistic buddy is Finland, and although they may love to get naked together in the sauna, 50 years of Soviet rule in Estonia have separated the two.

With a newfound confidence, singular Estonia has crept from under the Soviet blanket and leapt into the arms of Europe. The love affair is mutual. Europe has fallen head-over-heels for the charms of Tallinn and its Unesco-protected Old Town. Put simply, Tallinn is now one of the continent’s most captivating cities. And in overcrowded Europe, Estonia’s sparsely populated countryside and extensive swathes of forest provide spiritual sustenance for nature-lovers.”

When can we go?

Given the village and culture from where she emanates, it is understandable why we can watch her films, dream about what an ideal life can be like and learn deeper things all at the same time.

In terms of learning, in her interview with us.hellomagazine.com she shared, “I always try to follow the story and the character, and that opened me up to whatever medium it happens to fall in. I think it’s just all learning at the end of the day, and if it gives me the opportunity to, I think learn more about what I do.”