Mata Hari

"I am a woman who enjoys herself very much; sometimes I lose, sometimes I win"

Her real name was Margaretha Zelle and she was born Dutch in 1876.
The daughter of Adam Zelle, a wealthy hat maker, Margaretha was born in Leeuwarden in the Netherland. After her father went bankrupt and left the house. Being thirteen it left a scar in her heart. Later she moved to Amsterdam and lived with her godfather.
She wanted to become a teacher, but after hooking up with one of the teachers had to leave the college. Ashamed she decided she'd better get married. Unfortunately, her future husband appeared to be an alcoholic and very violent.
Margaretha had two kids with him, one of them was poisoned (most likely by the husband).
After the divorce since she couldn't afford to take care of her daughter the future star left the kid with ex-husband and started her career of a strip-dancer in France.
The success of her first appearances on stage inspired Margaretha to become ever more adventurous. She found herself free to express the sexuality that had been so brutally suppressed by her husband. Her routine involved the simulation of an Indian dance, and a slow striptease as she removed the seven colorful veils until she was almost naked. She would look over her mask at her captivated audience, flashing her dark eyes provocatively, wearing just a body-stocking and ornamental breast cups generously augmented with stuffing.
Since she knew eight languages and one of them was Malay, she called herself Mata Hari - "eye of the dawn".
Mata Hari was sensation and audience flocked to see her in the most famous Parisian venues. Her costumes became more and more daring and her performances ever more sensational as she gained in confidence, but always she retained the air of mystery which was the most potent aphrodisiac of all.
She had many lovers and was accused of being a spy and killed later.
Her life was a performance and being addicted to attention she made a lot of mistakes in life but she always loved her daughter and son.