Wednesday, September 1, 2010

diana style

In very strange ways I am sometimes upset that I missed the days of Jackie Kennedy, Sohpia Loren, or Grace Kelly. When women exemplified what it is to be of substance and true beauty whether they are the grieving widow of our President or being crowned the Princess of Monaco. There was a real pride in femininity, in being subtly sexy, and chic. Those days ended when Madonna forced herself into pop culture and somehow it became more about being current, and less about being timeless. With one exception. Princess Diana.

I was born to a mother that hand on my heart, was in love with Princess Diana. She stayed up to watch the wedding, she was coincidentally pregnant with Ross the same time Diana was pregnant with William. She HATED Princess Charles and "that ugly Camilla." I remember going to visit my grandparents and half way through the 3 hour car ride Eileen telling Ross to "step on it" so she wouldn't miss the now infamous BBC interview with Martin Bashiir. I think what made Diana so captivating was her ability to relate to women. My mom was born in New Mexico, in 1949, a world away from Diana. And yet there was a common link. They were flawed, yet strong. Silly, yet refined. Diana was truly admirable, and someone who left this world a bit better when she left.

While I admire her for wearing a short black dress as a giant "F-You" to Charles right after the divorce, and her spread in Vanity Fair is to this day, one of my absolute favorites, I was struck at an early age with her humanitarian efforts. When I asked my mom why Prince Charles didn't like Diana volunteering she said "It's because a lot of people refuse to see beyond themselves." And it was then that I vowed to never be a person that can be said about.