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Audrey Hepburn: A Powerful Woman

What I learned after reading, "Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II".

 


More often than not, when we think of Audrey Hepburn, we think of a skinny, beautiful woman who is a style-icon and acted in some of the most popular movies such as "Roman Holiday" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's." While all of this is true, it overshadows the fact that Audrey Hepburn was a strong-willed humanitarian and feminist who was part of the resistance during WWII and worked closely for UNICEF. Audrey Hepburn was born May 4, 1929, in Belgium and attended school in England until WWII began. By the time WWII began, Audrey and her mom moved to the Netherlands, where they thought they would be safest. In the 1930s, both of Audrey's parents supported Hitler. However, in 1940, Audrey's mom changed her mind after the Nazi's brutal invasion of the Netherlands. Audrey's father remained a Nazi, and her parents split. After affirming her hatred towards Nazism and her brother's tragic death, Audrey's mom decided to take a prominent role in the resistance. Not long after, Audrey followed her steps. Audrey contributed greatly to the resistance, but her primary role was to dance at illegal benefits to raise money for the resistance. Audrey was well aware of the punishment she could get if she were caught but still decided to continue taking part in the resistance. In addition to dancing, Audrey also ran messages and hid a British soldier in her house until he was cured and able to escape. Though Audrey took part in the resistance, life was still very challenging for her and her family. One of her brothers was deported to a German Labor Camp, and another spent the war in hiding. Audrey unwillingly witnessed the deportation of thousands of Jews and the fighting in front of her house. Audrey and her family also suffered from the cold, malnutrition, and low levels of medical supplies. Still today, Audrey is remembered for her beautiful, skinny physique. However, what people do not realize is that her thin figure is due to the malnutrition she faced during WWII, and such malnutrition caused her to have fragile health for the rest of her life. Audrey's will to help others persisted until her death on January 20, 1993. Her experience during WWII allowed her to understand the importance of aiding children. As she stated, "I can testify to what UNICEF means to children because I was among those who received food and medical relief right after World War II." Audrey worked tirelessly and eventually became a UNICEF ambassador. Audrey Hepburn's role as a powerful, female humanitarian demonstrates the power that women can have, no matter the circumstances. Audrey proves that women do possess the power to make a change for the better.


 

“The greatest victory has been to be able to live with myself, to accept my shortcomings… I’m a long way from the human being I’d like to be. But I’ve decided I’m not so bad after all.” – Audrey Hepburn


“I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.”

– Audrey Hepburn


“I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it’s the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.”

– Audrey Hepburn

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