So we all know Audrey Is a cultural icon of fashion, glamour and movies, but did you know she was an actual badass during WW2?
At a young age her parents moved her from England to The Netherlands where they changed her name to Etta to fit in. There she was bullied for how she spoke and for being a larger child at the time. She eventually found solace in ballet and dedicated all of her time to perfecting the craft.
During this time, Germans began to invade and occupy the area. Her uncle Otto was killed by soldiers to set an example to those resisting. While of this was happening Audrey’s ballet career continued to take off with her being at the top of the class.
However, as she reached the age of 15 she was faced with a difficult choice, in order to continue ballet training, she would have to sign an official pledge to the nazi regime. At the age of 15, she chose to give up her promising career in defiance of what was happening.
She ached to continue her ballet career and soon found a way to continue dancing g while also throwing a big fu to the nazis. She would perform at secret meetings called “black evenings” where she would dance to raise money for resistance efforts.
If that wasn’t enough, she would also walk through the woods, giving secret messages to paratroopers and guidance to those in need of shelter since she spoke English. In one instance she was almost caught my a German soldier, but was able to play to her “innocence” and began picking wildflowers that she handed to him, and he sent her on her way.
Times began getting tough, and as she lost a lot of strength she developed clots in her legs, making it very hard for her to dance. Once they were liberated, she moved to the us and sought to reclaim her life as a dancer. Unfortunately the years of starvation and strain on her body, left her behind most girls and kept her from landing roles. Because of this, she decided to try her luck in acting.
Audrey caught her first big break for a movie called “secret people”. The directors wanted a dancer who could also act, and because she had experience in both she landed the gig. After that her career began to take off and she became the household name we know today. After acquiring wealth and fame she did not stop there, she dedicated her life to outreach programs, working alongside UNICEF, and won the Humanitarian award in 1993. Honestly this doesn’t even touch how amazing she is and I recommend learning more about her if you have the time! TLDR: Audrey Hepburn worked to thwart nazis before becoming the household name she is today.