If Rena Mero is what's wrong with the world, you never would have guessed it. When she walked into the dining room at the 21 Club the other day, gentlemen - who were enjoying their lunch - seemed to be auditioning for the Linda Blair role in "The Exorcist." Heads spun around. All the way around.
It's not like Mero, whose upper body gives new meaning to the term, isn't used to getting this type of reaction. In her business, reaction breeds success.
Rena Mero is Sable, the World Wrestling Federation women's champion. Six years ago when her husband, Marc Mero, the wrestler, signed on with the WWF, Vince McMahon, who owns the company, asked Mrs. Mero if she wanted a job too. First she was a valet, then a manager.
The fans reacted. Not only did she pack a body, but her character was constructed as a temptress of good. Among the beasts, she was beauty.
Her character has helped fuel the WWF's ratings. Each week, its Monday night show's ratings on USA obliterate the NBA's cable numbers. For Sable, life is good. Her gig has led to acting roles, a video that made it to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, and today the cover of Playboy magazine. Her star power doesn't mean she can't draw the line between fantasy and reality.
Sable isn't oblivious to the fact the WWF is constantly under attack from concerned citizens over the content of the show. They say it's too violent and top-heavy with sex. They say the WWF is not fit for children to watch.
As a mother of a young daughter, Mariah, Sable has definite feelings about all this.
"As a responsible parent, I choose not to let my child watch it," Sable said. "My child is very young (she declined to reveal Mariah's age). She has a bedtime and she's in bed when our show comes on. To me, that's being a responsible parent. Ultimately, it's the parents' decision. If you do not wish your child to watch the WWF, change the channel. It's not our place to put on a show that's supposedly for your children. It's your place as a parent to monitor what your children watch."
She believes much of the criticism of the WWF is accompanied by hypocrisy, because parental responsibility is ignored by most of the critics. Other forms of entertainment for kids are not scrutinized and criticized like the WWF.
"Are they saying it's not okay to see the characters we play beat up each other," Sable said, "but it's okay to have your child watch a movie where a famous actor blows away 100 people with an M-16?"
There is a distinct rationale to all this. Perhaps it comes from the fact Sable can compartmentalize her two lives. "It is a job and I understand that," she said. "I'm not Sable. I'm Rena, a wife and a mother."
This is no simple task, considering what her job entails. Life on the road keeps her away from her daughter. Then there is jealousy from other WWF stars who feel Sable has gone too far too fast. And there is a need to always defend herself, not only from the outside world, but from fans who see her only as Sable.
"I find that very hard, because any other actress does not have to defend herself when she takes on a role of a murderer or a strip artist," Sable said. "But we have to constantly defend ourselves. And in real life we have to deal with everyone thinking we are the way we act in the ring. It can cause problems in your personal life."
From all this comes a reality for Sable when she looks at her life. She doesn't care if anyone thinks she is degrading herself. "I feel I'm being a strong, standup woman. . . . People don't have to like what I do or agree with what I do because they don't have to live my life," she said. "I would much rather my daughter, when she grows up, do what she wants to do because she wants to do it - not because of what someone else thinks."
McMahon has given the fans something to think about recently by turning Sable into a conniving heel. The fans don't know how to react to her. There is a buzz but no booing. Sable thought about this for a second, then slipped into character, pointing to her chest.
"Why would they boo this?"