Beauty Muse – Sophia Loren

“Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than belief that she is beautiful.” Sophia Loren

Source – Keystone Archives

Humble beginnings

Sophia Loren was born in Rome, Italy on September 20, 1934. Although she would go on to be considered one of the most beautiful women in history, Sophia Loren’s wet nurse remembered her as “the ugliest child I ever saw in my life.” Loren grew up in extreme poverty, living with her mother and many other relatives at her grandparents’ home, where she shared a bedroom with eight people.

War World II brought about misery, sickness, and hunger for the young Loren but it was as she developed her infamous curves at the age of 14 that things began to change for her.

“It became a pleasure just to stroll down the street,” she remembered of her sudden physical transformation. Not only did she begin to attract the attention of the opposite sex, but modelling agencies came knocking and roles in Italian movie productions soon followed.

Source – Doctor Macro

Hollywood Screen Siren

In 1957, Loren starred in her first Hollywood film, The Pride and the Passion, filmed in Paris costarring Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra. During filming, she became entwined in a love triangle when both Grant and an Italian film producer named Carlo Ponti declared their love for her. Despite her crush on Cary Grant, she chose Ponti, a man the media joked was twice her age and half her height.  Despite their rocky beginnings, their love remains one of the rare celebrity unions – as they were happily married for 50 years until Ponti’s death.

Despite her humble upbringing, Sophia has been always associated with elegance and luxury. After several awards, including two Oscars and one BAFTA, she attributes her success to her perseverance and confidence. Although she recognizes she has been blessed with the genetic lottery, maintaining it requires discipline and dedication. A healthy diet and lots of sleep are some of her secrets. She cleanses and hydrates her skin twice a day; follows a disciplined exercise routine accompanied by lots of water and no snacks between meals.

Source – Vogue

Her Beauty Secret

However, her biggest secret to beauty is to believe in yourself. “Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes” says Loren. As she mentions in her book “Women & Beauty” “It’s also about charm, imagination, wisdom and talent. Beauty is a package. It is in every woman. You just need to know how to explore it and show it to the world.”

A positive mindset has been key to Loren’s philosophy on life. “I always wake up early and jump out of bed—sometimes not wanting to, because one can always find an alibi not to exercise—and then I take a walk for an hour. And as I walk round the park I always think, ‘Maybe round the corner I am going to find something beautiful.’ I always think positively. It is very rare that you find me in a mood that is sad or melancholic.”

Sources:

Vogue Italy: https://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/v50/sophia-loren-by-carlo-ducci
Biography: https://www.biography.com/people/sophia-loren-9386318#synopsis
Vanity Fair: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2012/03/sophia-loren-201203
Life: https://www.life.time.com/icons/sophia-loren-rare-and-classic-photos-of-a-film-legend/#1
Facebook Sophia Loren – Official