"The Fairest Lady" is how A&E titled its documentary on her life.
Many others also believe she was the most beautiful woman of the 20th century.
Over the course of her movie career, she was invariably described as "graceful," "stylish" and "elegant." Thanks to a long partnership with her close friend the French designer Hubert Givenchy, her onscreen wardrobes are often referred to as "iconic."
If you've ever thought of a little black dress as the ultimate cocktail party wear, you've been influenced by her most well-known role, the hillbilly runaway wife who transformed herself into an independent, modern woman.
Although Hollywood generally considers women "over the hill" before they reach 30, she played leading lady/the female love interest roles for 35 years, co-starring at age 57 with Robert Wagner. In her final film role, Steven Spielberg promoted her to an angel.
The American Film Institute voted her the #3 Greatest Actress of Hollywood's Golden Era.
Personally, I think they accidently mixed up some of the votes, confusing her with Katherine Hepburn, their pick for #1.
What lessons can we learn from Audrey Hepburn?
1. Develop your physical strength and coordination.
As a small, thin woman, Audrey was mistaken as physically weak. She was never muscular, but she always carried herself with precision, and allowing her to project her inner feelings.
As a lonely child shunted off by her parents to an English boarding school, she compensated by working hard at ballet. If she had attained her childhood goal, she would have been a prima ballerina. Even when living in Occupied Holland, she continued her dance lessons under a famous teacher, until the school was destroyed and she became too weak from starvation.
One reviewer called Audrey "physical grace personified." She earned that with a lot of hard work.
And she retained that strength throughout her life. As a UNICEF Ambassador, she went places that would frighten most of us, including refugee camps in Somalia.
2. Stay hydrated.
This is common advice, and Audrey observed it.
Some do get carried away with it.
You need to take in around 8 glasses of water every day, but that doesn't mean drinking 8 glasses of water and only water.
The water in juice, coffee, tea and other beverages also counts.
So does the water in your food. If you eat enough water-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, you won't need to drink much water at all.
You can also apply water directly to your skin. Twice a week, Audrey gave herself a steam facial.
Pour boiling water into a bowl. Lean over the bowl for a few minutes, allowing the steam to penetrate your pores.
3. Eat fruits and vegetables in season.
According to her younger son, Luca Doti, Audrey loved to shop for local produce in season.
In summer, she concentrated on the really water-rich, juicy fruits because in the heat your body loses more water.
Given that she spent a lot of time in Italy during Luca's childhood, her intake was evidently close to the Mediterranean Diet.
Though not entirely:
4. Make potatoes your staple food.
They're low in fat, and the skins contain a lot of Vitamin C and magnesium.
5. Eat very little meat, and in small doses.
The less meat you eat, the more room you have for potatoes, fruits and vegetables.
6. "For beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness."
That's Luca quoting Audrey.
Actually, that and the other items on the list of such secrets were written by Sam Levenson, not Audrey, but she often quoted him.
7. Know when to be real.
Not too long before her untimely death, some editor at PEOPLE MAGAZINE had an idea for a feature story: ask all the famous, beautiful/handsome glamorous people for what they considered their #1 favorite photograph of themselves.
Naturally, they included Audrey, and she obliged by sending PEOPLE a recent photo of herself at a camp in Africa. Zero makeup. It was anything but glamorous.
Shocked, the editor at PEOPLE begged Audrey for permission to at least wipe out some of her facial lines with Photoshop.
"Don't you dare," she wrote back. "I earned every one of those wrinkles."
Her Final Beauty Tips
In an interview published a year before her death, Audrey said she didn't know any secrets or she'd make a fortune. "But I know what helps � health, lots of sleep, lots of fresh air, and a lot of help from Estee Lauder."
Last but Not Least
Don't smoke.
Yes, Audrey did. When Canadian troops liberated her home town at the end of World War II, one soldier gave the sixteen-year-old Audrey a chocolate bar and a cigarette.
If only he'd stuck with the chocolate . . .
Audrew continued to smoke throughout her life, up to three packs a day.
Obviously, she managed to resist the prematurely aged skin so many smokers display.
However, it's likely the habit played a role in the rare cancer of the appendix which killed her at the age of 63.
Probably, if she hadn't smoked, she'd have delayed the onset of many of those wrinkles despite her adventures on behalf of UNICEF.
What we learn from Audrey is that beauty is a combination of inside and out and that we can make leaps and bounds to become more beautiful.
https://www.amazon.com/Dutch-Girl-Audrey-Hepburn-World-ebook/dp/B07MSCBVBJ/
https://www.everythingaudrey.com/audrey-hepburn-smoking-facts-and-images/
https://www.vogue.fr/beauty-tips/article/audrey-hepburns-7-beauty-secrets
https://www.biographyonline.net/women/iconic-women-20th-century.html
https://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-most-beautiful-women/20100701.htm
https://www.vogue.fr/beauty-tips/article/audrey-hepburns-7-beauty-secrets
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/g2451/audrey-hepburn-makeup-hair-tips/?slide=10