There are very few people who have not heard of Audrey Hepburn, and even fewer people who have not seen the iconic photo of Ms. Hepburn as Holly Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. She experienced a very successful film career, and was recognized with a wide range of nominations and awards including an Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Beyond her cinematic successes, Ms. Hepburn was, and continues to this day to be remembered as a fashion icon. Always the picture of elegance and glamor; both her individual fashion sense as well as her close friendship/business partnership with Givenchy have created a classy and timeless look.
However, there is one very important aspect of Audrey Hepburn that is often overlooked. Beyond her career in both Hollywood and the fashion industry, Audrey Hepburn was also a humanitarian and a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF in her later years. The term humanitarian probably sounds very overused when discussing the actions of a celebrity as many use charity work as a publicity stunt in order to change their public image. This was not the case with Ms. Hepburn. The suffering of children was a subject that was of the utmost personal importance to Ms. Hepburn who, as a child during World War II, nearly starved to death in the Netherlands during German occupation.
Hepburn’s second career of aiding children began in 1988. During this new chapter of her life Ms. Hepburn was a very active member of UNICEF and utilized her celebrity status to advocate for children’s rights. While always known for being very polite and reserved during public appearances “Audrey was fiercely unreserved in speaking for those who otherwise had no voice”. Her work with UNICEF brought her around the globe to many of the poorest nations in the world on many of the organization’s field trips to battle famine, polio, drought, and to advocate for the rights of women and children.
In 1992, during the final year of her life, Ms. Hepburn continued her work with UNICEF while fighting colon cancer. In December of that same year she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award that can be bestowed in the United States. Ms. Hepburun’s legacy lives on; since her death, her family has founded a charity in her name to help underprivileged children and UNICEF has honored her through a statue located in the organization’s headquarters to commemorate her work.
Audrey Hepburn has left a legacy beyond her cinematic and fashion successes. She is truly an inspiration and speaks to the fact that no matter how much material success you achieve it is still important to do your best to lessen suffering and advocate for those who do not have a voice.
Sources: https://www.unicef.org/specialsession/activities/hepburn.htm, https://www.unicef.org/people/people_audrey_hepburn.html