Diana: The Most Beautiful or Famous Woman of the 20th Century?

[Roslyn]

Yikes! While there are some objective criteria at play in an assessment of "most famous", a determination of "most beautiful" is almost entirely subjective and based on what each individual considers attractive and desirable.

I can think of numerous women who I consider to have been far more beautiful, in their 20s/early 30s, than Diana or Marilyn Monroe at the same age. E.g. Katharine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Fontaine, Jane Seymour, Grace Kelly, Jean Simmons, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and Candice Bergen.

 

[Lady Claire]

Her warmth touched those who read Hello! magazine and were foolish enough to shell out pounds on staged photoshoots. She lived in the 20th century, she was famous but she certainly wasn't woman of the century. What on earth did she do to warrant that title? I very much doubt Diana is known to every human being on the planet and I very much doubt that those who did know her also admired her. Someone mentioned Marilyn Monroe - why is Diana suddenly more famous than Marilyn? Why is she more famous than the Queen?

BeatrixFan, I completly agree. She certainly was famous, but not the most famous. More famous than Marilyn Monroe and the Queen, com' on. In America most people believed what they read in the mags, and that is all they knew of her.
Is Diana the most beautiful and most famous?... certainly not, imo.

 

[Grace Angel]

Would anyone challenge that Princess Diana was the most photographed woman in the world? Indeed, beauty is a subjective thing, but in my opinion there are only a few women who would even equal Diana when it came to beauty in the 20th century, although Princess Grace could claim to be among them. Marilyn I don't think was beautiful- sexy yes, but that's a different thing.

 

[sirhon11234]

IMO there isn't THE most beautiful woman in the world there are so many women who are beautiful that its insulting to say that Diana or Grace is the most beautiful they were one but not THE. imo

 

[Penny Royalty]

She was famous and she was beautiful. There is no argument there. Was she the most famous and beautiful is the question?

For me it seems that she earned her fame beautifully. Taking advantage of the spot light and carrying the people is no small matter. One must imagine a life being called beautiful and having to persuade an ever growing phenomena of being worth the fame. The sheer thought of obligations and expectations leave one spell bound as to how Diana continued earning the love and respect of the World. To me she was beautiful. There is no doubt there, and she was very famous as I recall, but I have heard that Madonna, the singer, has been labeled one of the most famous women on Earth. But I think Marilyn Monroe was the most famous woman of the 20th century. Marilyn has been a phenomena throughout the decades during and after her life. She's someone I admire dearly. Her life as an orphan and an aspiring, promising actress is worth looking into and reading. Madonna the singer may be famous and attractive but her fame may be tainted with superficiality. But that's just me. Love her American Life album though. It speaks volumes. Anyways thought I'd speak. Long may Diana's memory live.

 

[Grace Angel]

I agree with you about both Marilyn and Diana- very different women by the way. I'm a big fan of both. I also admire Princess Grace, but I admire Diana more, I think she was more true to herself than Grace was ( my own name is Grace, by the way). I'd judge the Queen the most famous woman of the 20th century- she has been well known for decades while Diana was a shooting star, very brief-- but there can ever only be one Diana.

 

[Penny Royalty]

Yes, the Queen of England is famous around the World. She has lead remarkably for Britain and gathered the respect of people abroad. She will live forever in the hearts of humanity. She is everyone's Queen.

Grace Kelly is one of the, if not, the most attractive members of the cinema and Royal regal. Her look defines beautiful and class. I admire the virtue in trying to implement and emulate a devine presence for the people and country of her time. She was charismatic and a pioneer, a patron for her day, and she spoke for the many beautifully. Sometimes I look at her and say perfection. She is that gorgeous.

But yes, there will ever only be one Diana. She was a little like an Angel.

 

[Grace Angel]

I don't think Diana was an Angel.. she defintely had faults. Nor do I think she would have wanted to be remembered as an Angel.Princess Grace warned Diana what it was like to be a famous and beautiful Royal woman, the press attention was only going to get worse. Princess Grace was right, but then she needed no one to tell her that when she married royalty as she had already been famous being a movie star. Diana had to learn alone.

 

[Duchess]

would it be more appropriate to say that diana was the most famous woman of her time rather that the most famous woman in th world?

 

[Empress Merel]

Most famous, yes.
Most beautiful, no.
There are and were more beautiful women out there.

 

[Grace Angel]

Yes, she was the most famous woman of her time (1980s- late 1990s), basically that's what I meant, she wasn't the most famous woman of the 20th century, the Queen and some other women could lay claim to that. Diana was far from a classic beauty- she was so photogenic though. It was hard to take a bad picture of her.

 

[chaimae]

Most famous, yes.
Most beautiful, no.
There are and were more beautiful women out there.

totaly agree with muriel

 

[Lady Ann]

I
(The delightful Jackie O was, in her own country, an aristo, I'm told. But from my somewhat, allegedly, indifferent knowledge,I always thought that she knew of her husband's many infidelities and accepted them, if not condoned them. Am I wrong? I'd like to think that I was, don't you know. However, I really didn't like it!)

I am no sure if i totally agree with this part of your point....yes delightful and aristo, in my country. I can not think her as indifferent to her husband's infidelities or for that matter that she accepted them. She was in a posioton where she did not have much wiggle room. She was a strong independent woman who stood by her husband in his role and in his death! there were many other things in her life both before and after the death of her husband. The infidelities of a leader are always put aside for progress and when they won't go away the are made too... IMO Marilyn Monroe paid the highiest price.

 

[scooter]

I dont think she was the most beautiful (the nose). But she had a certain luminous aspect to her skin, much like MM did (rent Some like it Hot, it's very noticable). Diana's eyes were beautiful and the camera loved her. I do think she was the most photographed woman of the 20th century, does that make her the most famous?

 

[Grace Angel]

Yes, the nose was what made her not a classic beauty. I wonder too, does photographed = most famous? She was also most photographed not only because she was a great beauty, but because she lived an era where so many photos could be taken of her, and good ones due to technology. We no doubt would have more photos of many other famous women had they lived in more modern times.

 

[Skydragon]

But she had a certain luminous aspect to her skin,

It's called make up!

 

[scooter]

No, it 's not make up. If anything its the Anglo (or Irish) creamy/pale skin that one sees in that part of the world. Even when you look at the photos of her from before the engagement she had that flawless porcelain/alabaster skin. There were no makeup artists and the 18-19 year old certainly wasn't that adept.

 

[Skydragon]

Did you Americans not have make up back then, I remember buying the stuff back in the 60s and there have been makeup artists since the start of the cinema. She had the normal prepubescent skin in some of the photos her father took, certainly not a flawless alabaster/porcelain type, from my recollections of a pudgy faced girl, the moment she was engaged, the makeup was evident. Anglo or Irish creamy pale skin, never heard of it!

 

[Mermaid1962]

Believe it or not, Skydragon, in this part of the world, British ladies are known for their fine skin...

Diana said of herself that her look was from make-up. I have seen an occasional picture of her without her makeup, and she did look quite different.

I think that she was ruddier before she started wearing make-up, yes.

Did you Americans not have make up back then, I remember buying the stuff back in the 60s and there have been makeup artists since the start of the cinema. She had the normal prepubescent skin in some of the photos her father took, certainly not a flawless alabaster/porcelain type, from my recollections of a pudgy faced girl, the moment she was engaged, the makeup was evident. Anglo or Irish creamy pale skin, never heard of it!

 

[Jacknch]

It's a difficult question to answer because I think Diana was famous and infamous at the same time!

 

[Lady Ann]

Did you Americans not have make up back then, I remember buying the stuff back in the 60s and there have been makeup artists since the start of the cinema. She had the normal prepubescent skin in some of the photos her father took, certainly not a flawless alabaster/porcelain type, from my recollections of a pudgy faced girl, the moment she was engaged, the makeup was evident. Anglo or Irish creamy pale skin, never heard of it!

yes, I agree you could tell when she started wearing make up but I think she was lovely with or with out it. Some of my favorite photos of her are from when she had that pudgy face...lol I think natural is much better then over done any time ....

 

[Skydragon]

Believe it or not, Skydragon, in this part of the world, British ladies are known for their fine skin..

I suppose living here and meeting so many females over the years, you tend to realise that there are very few 'English Roses' or natural porcelaine skinned women. Susan Hampshire was always considered the difinitive ER, with her elfin nose and complexion.

yes, I agree you could tell when she started wearing make up but I think she was lovely with or with out it. Some of my favorite photos of her are from when she had that pudgy face...lol I think natural is much better then over done any time ....

I also agree with the natural look being better than over made up. One of my PM's seems to believe pudgy is an insult, but it is used to described the non waif like features of the young.

 

[GillW]

Can I ask please - those of you who have said she was not beautiful - who of you saw her in real life? Or have you only seen photos & film of her?

 

[Duchess]

Believe it or not, Skydragon, in this part of the world, British ladies are known for their fine skin...

Diana said of herself that her look was from make-up. I have seen an occasional picture of her without her makeup, and she did look quite different.

I think that she was ruddier before she started wearing make-up, yes.

you are right Mermaid....that peaches and cream complexion that the ladies of england are known for is envied all over the world

 

[Skydragon]

Can I ask please - those of you who have said she was not beautiful - who of you saw her in real life? Or have you only seen photos & film of her?

I saw her on more than one occasion in real life, before and after she became engaged, she was often described as 'chubby', not over weight but suffering from puppy fat. Perhaps we should ask those that believe she was, the same question, IMO, the majority will only have seen pictures in the various media outlets.

Beauty as has been said time and again is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[scooter]

I only saw her in person the one time in Florida. It was at a polo game so I and the multitudes had a long look. She had a certain twinkle in the eye/animation that the camera picked up.

 

[Mermaid1962]

My favourite photos of her tend to be during the Lady Diana years or in the early years of her marrige, i.e. before Prince Harry was born and she got all "glam." Even when she was a teenager, there were pictures of her where she looked quite average and pictures of her that were stunning.

yes, I agree you could tell when she started wearing make up but I think she was lovely with or with out it. Some of my favorite photos of her are from when she had that pudgy face...lol I think natural is much better then over done any time ....

 

[scooter]

But in general, I think she really grew into her looks after her children were born, more so than when she married. Her bone structure (cheekbones) became much more defined.

 

[auntie]

Some people have taken the question to mean, was she the best? and the answer is no, yet I believe wherever you went and go today, she was the most well known. Everyone knows who she was ,and the background of her life. I admire greatly the royals of today who are no less fashionable and busy than she was, CP Mary, Letizia, Maxima and my favourite Mathilde, yet how many people outside their country know who they are besides us nutty royal watchers? Who knows who Queen Ingrid was, or who Queen Sonja of Norway is? Yet which ever continent I went to, (personally Europe, America and Asia) Everyone heard of Princess Di. I'm sure Australia and Africa is the same.

 

[rmay286]

My favourite photos of her tend to be during the Lady Diana years or in the early years of her marrige, i.e. before Prince Harry was born and she got all "glam." Even when she was a teenager, there were pictures of her where she looked quite average and pictures of her that were stunning.

Oh I completely agree! I used to just gaze for hours at the pictures of Diana's early years...I believe she made a tour to Canada in 1982 or 1983 and I found her so beautiful in those pictures. I thought Diana was much more attractive then than she was in her later years, when she became more muscular, wore tighter, shorter dresses and wore more makeup.