You know the way some people have the ability to just walk into a room and it appears like all eyes are on them? It seems as though the entire body of the room is captivated by this one person.
It is not because they are the loudest person in the room or because they are wearing some ridiculous hot pink or lime green outfit.
It is because they have that ineffable “thing,” about them.
Audrey Hepburn was one of those people. Friday was the 19th anniversary of the late film star and humanitarian’s death. She passed away from cancer in 1993.
Personally, I became infatuated with Hepburn when I was 17 years old. I first took notice of her when Gap featured Hepburn in a commercial advertising black skinny jeans. I was absolutely in awe of the way Hepburn popped her foot every which way, as she moved and danced on my television screen. She had that “thing” about her that rendered me speechless.
In each of Hepburn’s films I have seen (I recommend “Funny Face” or “My Fair Lady”), she has this manner about her that makes you long to know her, or to even be in the same room as her. Be it the big brown eyes or lanky limbs and extremities, Hepburn has this subtle, foxy allure about her that is hard to pinpoint.
Now, 19 years since Hepburn’s death, I cannot walk into a Target, Walmart or a college Barnes and Noble without seeing a poster of Hepburn from one of her more popular films, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Most of us were just toddlers in 1993, so it is not as though we can honestly say that we remember Hepburn when she was alive.
However, it is safe to say the iconic actress will forever be memorialized through her raw talent that is showcased in her films, and the last five years of her life spent as a UNICEF International Goodwill Ambassador.
With the majority of today’s entertainment encompassing shows about the lives of people who are famous for being famous, it is hard to decipher whether or not our era will have an “Audrey Hepburn” to call its own.
Yes, there are many talented stars and celebrities who have made astounding films and who have contributed their time to making the world a better place, but it is difficult to say whether or not that “thing” that attracts us to them will outlive our lifetime.
Alas, to avoid this turning into an outcry to improve showbiz, let us raise our travel-sized mugs and overpriced baked goods to the elegant, eloquent Audrey Hepburn.
