Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most beautiful of them all? Well, according to a new survey conducted by cosmetics and skincare brand Artistry by Amway, the lovely and talented Audrey Hepburn is the most iconic beauty of all time. The Breakfast at Tiffany's actress, known for those wide doe eyes and her fine bone structure, is usually the first or second person mentioned in these kinds of conversations — more on that in a second. For this particular list, she is joined by the breathtaking likes of Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Beyonce, and Scarlett Johansson.
Overall, the list, which was produced after polling 2,000 women in the UK, is a mix of classic (and somewhat predictable) and modern stars, with a few surprising choices sprinkled in, like British beauty Jean Shrimpton. She doesn't get as much press or accolades as her peers like Jane Birkin or Twiggy, but The Shrimp, as she was known, was just as gorgeous with her oft-copied and eyebrow-skimmer bangs.
What's disappointing is the fact that this list is largely devoid of women of color, save for the Queen Bey, so what's up with that?
You can argue amongst yourselves about the selections to the list and its omissions. But what all we need to remember before engaging in heated debates over this list is that beauty is completely subjective so if you have totally different opinions of who should be on this list, they are just as valid.
One survey of a small sample of women is not the period at the end of the beauty sentence. That conversation is ongoing ad infinitum.
Also, this list reminded me of a conversation I once had while getting my roots touched up at my salon. An older women in her late '50s sitting next to me was authoritatively gushing about how Kim Kardashian is the iconic beauty of her generation and that she is this era's Audrey Hepburn.
I had to rudely interrupt the conversation, all "RUFKM?" style. Yes, Kardashian is very pretty and, by many accounts, is a lovely person. I cannot and will not deny that she is blessed in the looks department. But a great and for-the-ages beauty along the lines of Hepburn? Come on. Let's be real here!
I even pointed to Mila Kunis as someone who is as gorgeous and classic as Hepburn, and in my opinion, she trumps Kim K. in the iconic beauty department.
So yes, this is all subjective and we all know where beauty lives and that's in the eye of the beholder. I am pleased to see that this list does nod to a curvy brunette (Ava Gardner) and the voluptuous new mom Scar Jo.
The full list of the Artistry by Amway survey is below.
1. Audrey Hepburn2. Marilyn Monroe3. Grace Kelly4. Sophia Loren5. Beyoncé6. Brigitte Bardot7. Jean Simpson8. Kate Moss9. Ava Gardner10. Scarlett Johansson
Images: Getty (3)
