I love the worldwide admiration for Audrey Hepburn. Not only was she a talented actress and humanitarian, but she was the epitome of elegance and grace. She lived with a sense of joie de vivre that still captures the world’s imagination today. But in a modern world where it seems like grace and femininity are things of the past, how can we live with the same elegance that Audrey did? What can we learn from her life about how to live beautifully?
begin with internal beauty
“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others.
For beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness.
And for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey believed that the most beautiful people were the ones who cultivated the beauty of their souls. A lot of people think that elegance can be achieved with a certain lifestyle or a “look” or with wealth. But elegance isn’t something that can be bought. It’s a way of living; it’s a way to approach the world with kindness and respect for everyone you meet, including yourself. Think of it this way: if your mind and your heart were a garden, would you enjoy the thoughts you’re growing there?
Learn to love your own company. You’ll be spending your entire life with yourself, you may as well make your mind a pretty place to be. Decorate it with gratitude. Paint scriptures on the walls of your heart. Arrange your accomplishments—big or little—in a vase, where they can bloom. Surround yourself with memories you made with people you love. True beauty begins with the way you see the world.
embrace your femininity
“The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.”
Audrey Hepburn
In today’s world, women believe that in order to succeed in business, they must be perceived as masculine to be taken seriously. Audrey lived in the same world, but chose to embrace her femininity, to embrace her love of loveliness. Throughout her career, Audrey was known for being calm and composed, but was quick with a sense of humor. Her background in ballet gave her a natural grace—in posture, speech, and interactions with others—and that “poise” is what sets her apart as a woman who exuded elegance. She loved beauty—children, flowers, nature, animals, travel, art, dancing—and treasured these things in her heart. She embraced her love of the finer things in life: pretty dresses and lipstick and flowers.
The world’s “ideal” of what feminine beauty looks like will always be changing, but in the words of Audrey herself, “Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.” In the era Audrey entered the film industry, the concept of “beauty” was of curvy blondes like Marilyn Monroe, which meant that Audrey’s thin, elfish figure stood out amongst her peers. Yet because she knew her own value, she didn’t rely on other people’s attention or validation to know that she was talented and beautiful just the way she was.
You don’t need to be skinny or curvy to be feminine. Elegance is internal. All it takes is embracing the beauty of your body and soul, recognizing the good in other people, and treating everyone with kindness and respect.
be the change you want to see in the world
“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
Audrey Hepburn
Most of the world knows Audrey Hepburn as a fashion icon and an award-winning actress, but her journey began long before hitting the silver screen. As a child, she grew up in the midst of the German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II. During those years, she witnessed Dutch Jews being boarded up in trains and exported away to concentration camps. Using her training in ballet, she began performing to raise money for the Dutch resistance. Audrey, along with her family, came close to starving during the Dutch famine of 1944. Those traumatizing experiences during World War II stayed with her all her life.
Audrey entered the world’s spotlight with her breakthrough role in Roman Holiday, at which point she became the first actress to win three huge awards for a single performance: a Golden Globe, Academy Award, and a BAFTA. Even as she continued her acting career, she never forgot the traumatizing things she’d seen during World War II. In 1989, Audrey became a goodwill ambassador of UNICEF and worked to provide aid to starving countries. She used her success to bring awareness to helping others, and spent the later years of her life helping those in poverty.
nourish your soul
“I’m an introvert. I love being by myself, love being outdoors, love taking a long walk with my dogs and looking at the trees, the flowers, the sky.”
Audrey Hepburn
A few months ago, I wrote on why it’s essential that we make time to rest. Set aside a day off every week for yourself. The Biblical sabbath isn’t just a suggestion; it’s essential for our wellbeing, which is why it’s a commandment. Nobody can keep giving and giving. Think of yourself like a pretty plant; you need to be watered often. You need to grow your roots deep into peace and quiet…you need some sunshine before you can bloom.
Whether it means staying home on the weekends to lose yourself in the reverie of a good book, or having a slow morning to sip your coffee by an open window and just watch the world go by, or maybe even puttering around your living space to light a candle and listen to music and tidy and set things to rights. Find ways to anchor yourself in the midst of your busy life.
keep your personal life to yourself
“The important thing is to enjoy your life. To be happy. It’s all that matters.”
Audrey Hepburn
For someone who was always in the spotlight, it still feels like we hardly knew Audrey at all. There’s value to the idea of keeping your personal life private. Not everyone needs to know everything about you, right? Keep your social media an expression of all the things you love in life; keep your rants in your journal; confine your personal thoughts to your close circle of friends. When you need to stand up for something, do it with composure and maturity. And when you put your phone away? Go make some memories no one but you will ever know about.
It’s hard to know where to draw the line between what is personal and what is public, but Audrey enjoyed keeping her personal life to herself. If she ever second-guessed herself or thought anything ill of others, she didn’t feel the need to share it. She enjoyed her life and found happiness, and she treasured every minute of it.
I hope you feel as inspired by Audrey Hepburn as I do! Let’s make it our intention to live elegantly and bring back that vintage joie de vivre. I had so much fun putting this together and researching more about Audrey’s life.
I took a couple months off the “Live Like Heroes” series to get reinspired, but after that little hiatus, I’m excited to start it back up again. Beginning in September, we’ll get some inspiration from some of my favorite autumn-themed fictional characters!
Have a lovely week,
<3 Olivia Grace
