She may have gained a few too many pounds in her later years. And she may have said some silly things. But there are two things worth remembering about Liz Taylor — she was, in the beauty department, a bird of paradise. Second, though she endured a great deal of ridicule for her — was it eight marriages — she explained that she just couldn’t bring herself to have “affairs.” If she was romantically involved with someone, it had “to lead to the altar.” Seems quaint today. She will now enjoy the company of the angels — the only creatures that can match her for looks.
In a few months, after working through stories about "real cause of death" and "smuggled" autopsy photos and perhaps some nonsense about her estate, the tabloids are going to find themselves at a loss for material -- they've spent SO MUCH space on her over the years!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm not a movie-watcher (the only one I saw her in was the live-action Flinststones) but RIP, Miss Taylor. What a life! And those eyes!!
I am no social conservative, and don't really care whether something is "quaint" or not. And I have no interest in criticizing Elizabeth Taylor on the day of her death. But it seems strange to argue that Taylor was some kind of model for conservative family values. If Taylor's serial monogamy represents support for traditional marriage, then traditional marriage is really in trouble. After all, even the Jersey Shore crew is monogamous for a few minutes at a time.
Those who believe that marriage is a lifelong commitment should praise those who make a thoughtful, long choice before heading to the altar. They should appreciate couples who date for a reasonable amount of time, who get to know each other and learn if they are actually compatible once that rush of euphoria wears off. Taylor was a romantic, and that's, in some way, an admirable concept. But a successful marriage requires a little more time, deliberation, and room for doubt.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI can't believe the first thing you write about the deceased actress is a criticism of her weight in old age!
The weight obsession of this generation is so out of control - even old women and babies in diapers are not immune from this generation's fat obsession. It is ridiculous.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhy the heck would you immediately critisize her in a tribute to her amazing life???
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf your criticism of such a beautiful woman on the day of her death was a ploy on your part to draw attention to your own name, you've done it, albeit in a very negative way.
You should be ashamed.
Rest in peace, Elizabeth Taylor.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseReally? That's all you have to say about her? No word on her support for AIDS research, or her business sense?
Instead, it's "She may have gained a few too many pounds in her later years..." as though that's a failing. Um, what 70- or 80-something-year-old *hasn't* gained a few pounds? Unless they are sticks who've lost all of their muscle and fat mass.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGee, can you say lack of class? Elizabeth Taylor dies and the first thing out of your mouth & keyboard is that she may have gained a few pounds?
RIP Elizabeth, we will miss you greatly.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt strikes me as remarkably callous to criticize the weight gain of an elderly woman who endured a long battle with congestive heart failure. (Leaving aside how distasteful it is to remark on any woman's weight, unless you are her doctor.) Honestly, what would spur you to make that sneering comment on the day of her death?
Personally, I'll remember Liz Taylor for her compassion and her early leadership in HIV/AIDS activism. Her willingness to help those in need strikes me as more in line with conservative values than her romantic entanglements.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseReally? That's what we should remember? That she was beautiful and she liked to get married a lot? Not her 2 Oscars and multiple other nominations? Not the fact that she helped found AMFAR -- at a time when most celebrities (not to mention most Americans and the President of the United States) considered AIDS a "gay disease" not even worth speaking about -- a charity which has since raised & invested over THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS for AIDS/HIV research? Or that she helped save Montgomery Clift's life after his car accident? Hell, how about just a look at how much she *survived* -- a broken back (four times), a brain tumor and subsequent surgery, widowhood, heart surgery, three hip replacements,skin cancer... should I go on?
I'm not saying we should canonize the woman, but to respond to her passing with, "Sure, she got fat, but she was way pretty and got married a lot, which was super cute?" ANYONE would deserve better on the day of their death than that.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI have to agree with the other commenters, Mona. The weight comment was a cheap (not to mention odd) shot to take at an elderly woman that was confined to a wheelchair at the end of her life. Would you call Mrs. Reagan a bag of bones on the day of her death?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLet me join the voices of the horrified. She was 79, she was beloved, and all this writer can do is take a cheap shot at her weight?
Not everyone -- even in this day and age -- considers body size a crucial item in evaluating the worth of a human being. What a very unpleasant note to strike on the day of someone's death.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat a weird and poorly written...er, tribute? Honestly! I usually enjoy this writer's articles, but this casts a very poor light on her judgment. I'll read her with a HUGE grain of salt from now on (if I read her at all).
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseconservative? Classy? Heavy or not? I have no idea.
I am almost 50 years old, and I have never seen Elizabeth Taylor in a movie or acting role (and I like old movies!). I have the vague sense she was in a horseriding movie when she was a teenager, in Cleopatra, and in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I've never found her that attractive (not unattractive, just not strikingly beautiful).
Yet, she has always, my entire conscious life, been on the cover of People Magazine and its equivalents. She, and Lady Di, are the two people that epitomize our celebrity culture. They are famous for being famous. I get other celebrities: I don't like Robert Redford's politics, but like his movies: I get the appeal of Michael Jackson, even if I don't like alot of it myself: Barbara Streisand could really sing: and so on and so on. But Elizabeth Taylor is just someone who, somehow, has had an appeal to celebrity watchers for something, but what that thing is has been baffling to me for my entire conscious life, and why she didn't fade away like the other bombshells from the 40's, 50's, and early 60's is something I'll never understand.
Sk
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSK, Elizabeth Taylor was not famous for being famous, as you say -- she was famous, mostly, for some excellent performances in classic films. Just because you've never seen any of them doesn't mean they haven't contributed to Taylor's enduring legend.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf a man with a similar career as Elizabeth Taylor passed away that gained a few pounds later in their career that would've never been mentioned as part of their "tribute". When did the National Review become "mean girls"? Elizabeth Taylor or anyone that passes away deserves more respect then that. What about her accomplishments or what's she's done for AIDS research. This is why young Hollywood has an obsession with weight.
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Perhaps if you were...say...10 or 15 years older you may have a better handle on why Liz Taylor mattered. There used to be this thing called glamour. (As opposed to the current trend of skankitude.) She epitomized it. She was also a fine actress. Rent Butterfield 8 or Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? As for beauty? Well, that's always in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? Me? I found her stunning.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI've seen this writer and she is a rather plain jane. Who will remember her when she passes? A few people, I guess. Elizabeth Taylor has been around since I was a child, we all grew up with her. She had divorces, failed marriages, bad health starting from her fall when she was 12 in National Velvet, and broke her back 5 times. She suffered from scoliosis , in later years (wheelchair), and was in constant neckpain. Through it all she was a great mother, humanitarian, and was able to laugh at herself. She was also one of the most beautiful woman ever (violet eyes & double row of eyelashes). What a cheap and uninformed review of her passing. Someone one asked her who she thought the most beautiful woman was, and without pause she said, "Ava Gardner". She was in awe of Ava.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm '75' years old so I am well aware of the 'beautiful woman' Lis Taylor was, inside and out. Her inner beauty became visible as she grew older and showed her WONDERFUL and "HUMANITARIAN" aspect of her life. What she did for Aids alone is marvelous and for others who were needy not surpassed by many. I feel what her past was, is now a thing of the past and who of us does not have an off-color part in our lives. Let her soul rest in peace and lets think of the legacy of generosity she left us. Thank God for His compassion for each of us and I hope He reminded her of the many good things she did in her life. Everyone does good at one point of their lives. Liz did her part well. May she rest in peace.
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