Modern Grace

I watched the made-for-TV biography of Audrey Hepburn tonight. I do enjoy Audrey Hepburn, but I think my interest in her would not be as great if it weren't for the constant reminders of Forego.

Audrey did have a certain je ne sais quoi, an innocent kind of charm that was less about sex, more about being alive. That is almost non-existent today, I'll admit. But, times have changed and that sort of naivete would not be appreciated much by anyone in the business of stage or screen. People want vamps, saucy women with attitude that kick box and rip people's clothes off. The butt-kickin' woman of the world propoganda was being spread even when I was a young girl. For me, it was balanced by my absolute love affair with romantic era literature like Jane Eyre, Little Women, and Portrait of a Lady. Oh, yes, and one set of rigidly religious and judgmental parents. But, the books, unlike the lectures, made me dream about being a refined, educated, but benevolent lady only losing composure in the cleansing winds of the heathered moors. That was in between wanting to marry Simon Le Bon or David Gahan and swearing like a sailor (thanks, Dad), of course.

Growing up, I felt guilty that I was not really a jock by nature and that I never wanted to tell or hear gross, sexual jokes (which believe me were rampant all through jr. high and high school and, sadly, even a bit in elementary school). I could've been considered a downright prude in college for not detailing every sexual experience and not being willing to expand my repertoire with every "date." Since I didn't come with monetary class, I had more to lose by that sort of behavior than my heir- apparent classmates.

Okay, anyway, back to Audrey. She was a lovely presence, sort of what I would picture Isabel Archer to be like. She walked lightly, she was pretty but not fakely glamorous, and of course she had that lilting English/European way of speaking. Most importantly in my opinion, she was never ever ever flaunting her wares for public display. That's not to say she didn't have her share of nightclubs and rolls in the hay. But she seemed to conduct herself with class (hey, she did in the movie--it must be true, right?).

Unfortunately, though, ladies are obsolete in film because it's all about sex. While it absolutely doesn't add up to grace, the modern standard for classiness is a decent actress that doesn't take her clothes off and dolls up nicely for the award shows. Ah, but I dare you to name more than two.