An ode to an icon...

As the car steers around the corner and pulls up infront of Tiffany's in New York City a stunning woman steps out and begins to glide across the path. With a coffee in one hand and a paper bag in the other, she stands infront of the iconic store. Taking a pastry from the bag she takes one single bite and with it creates cinematic history.

There is a lot I could say now, I could tell you of her past, her early upbringing that played out in the midst of of war and devistation in her home country. I could tell you of her style, the couture dresses and the glistening jewellery, the undisputable fashion force that she was for her entire life, and continues to be today. I could tell you of her career, her humble beginings in ballet schoolthat led to her portrayal of Gigi and went on to see her star in 18 films, nomintaed for 4 Academy Awards and win Best Actress for "ROman Holiday". I could tell you of her legacy, the family she raised, the charity work she did for UNICEF in her later years, and The Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund, which still continues today. However that is merely statistics and opinions, what I want to tell you is who she was, when the lights went out and the makeup was off. Who was Audrey Hepburn when nobody was looking?

In his book "Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit" Audrey's son describes her as a compassionate woman who searched for and offered love above all else. Audreys own words back this up, with her quoted as saying "I was born with an enormous need for affection, and a terrible need to give it." She lived her life not only to entertain, but also to engage, to engage with her audience, engage with her family, engage with people.

So I wonder, how did it feel to be "Audrey Hepburn", a person who became an actress, an actress who became a star, a star who became an icon? The shocking answer is this, "You can even say that I hated myself at certain periods. I was to fat, or maybe to tall, or maybe just plian to ugly..." Its hard to believe, but nice to know that the face of a thousand add campaignes, the mother of style and "Most Beautiful Woman Of All Time" was insecure just like you and I. So, while every woman wanted to be her, and every man wanted to marry her, she was happy to be at home with her sons, blissfully unfazed by the frenzy she caused and, just like her character standing in front of Tiffany's, Audrey Hepburn could be surrounded by the most precious of jewels, but everyone is still looking at her.

(this is a piece I wrote for uni, I got a high distinction so I thought it might be worth sharing it on here)