Elizabeth Taylor Was More Than Just A Pretty Face

In the week since the passing of Elizabeth Taylor, many words have been spoken and written in tribute to her.
Most people have talked about her career journey from a precocious child star to a multiple Oscar winner, and the numerous characters she brought to life during her sixty years in front of the camera. Even though she was a style icon and a Hollywood legend, Liz will always have a place in my heart for her bravery and activism.
Often times people are so quick to judge others by their looks instead of their actions. The internet and Twitterverse exploded last week with celebrities mourning Liz in 140 characters or less. One celebrity tweet proclaimed, "She will always be my idol!" Maybe Elizabeth Taylor is your personal fashion hero, or your favorite glamorous actress, but to say that she is your idol is a completely different thing. When you "idolize" someone else it implies to me that you strive to walk in their footsteps to achieve their level of success, or to mirror their achievements in hopes that you may someday be considered equally as great. If Liz is really your idol, then why aren't you out there fearlessly and tirelessly using your money and celebrity to champion a worthy cause? On the day that I volunteer at the Kim Kardashian Medical Center, I will eat my shoe, post it on YouTube, and you all will be first to know.

In the 90s, I worked in Washington DC at the Studio Theatre on 14th Street. We hosted many events and benefits for the Whitman Walker Clinic, and even to this day when I am in that neighborhood I often find myself walking by the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center with very fond memories. The WWC serves the community of Washington, not just the LGBT residents or people with HIV. Anyone can use the primary medical services of the clinic and it is such a vital contribution to the city of DC. My friends and I have often donated our time and money to help elevate this charitable organization we hold so close to our hearts. Liz put a face on AIDS activism in a time when it was very controversial to do so. In the early 1980s people were still referring to the disease as "the gay cancer" and even the president of our country refused to acknowledge that an epidemic was blooming right under his nose. No one fully understood yet exactly how the virus was transmitted, and anyone brave enough to admit publicly that they had HIV or AIDS had to be ready to risk loneliness, isolation, and social rejection because of ignorance and misinformation. Paranoia and irrational fear of the disease was running rampant. Images of Liz Taylor looking totally glam in all her jewels and full makeup, with no preventative surgical masks or unnecessary rubber gloves, shook the world to the core. She was often photographed kissing, hugging, and holding the hands of suffering people who didn't even have family members willing to visit their hospital bedside. There were people in my life who were diagnosed with HIV in the late 80s and early 90s, only to quickly develop full blown AIDS and die within two or three years. Now, thanks to antiretroviral drugs and other HIV therapies, friends of mine who carry the virus are otherwise completely healthy and living life to the fullest.
Elizabeth Taylor founded the National AIDS Research Foundation (which later became AMFAR) in the early 1980s. Places like the Whitman Walker Clinic may have ceased to exist without proper funding, and without voices to champion their cause. People of DC may not have had the options that they have now without the steady activism and hefty monetary contributions of Elizabeth Taylor. She is so much more to Washingtonians than just a beautiful and talented actress.

Elizabeth Taylor's steamy role as Maggie in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" seems tame by today's standards, but the sexual chemistry that was shared onscreen with Paul Newman was extremely provocative for that era. The film cemented her status a fashion icon. Liz spent about half of that movie in sexy dresses that showed off her figure, and the other half in various states of undress. She shot many of her most critical scenes wearing a form-fitting translucent white slip, which although slightly scandalous, changed fashion forever. The movie became a hit and women all over the world began running out to their local dressmakers in search of a similar, wearable look. Many costume designers and wardrobe historians credit this as the fashion moment that popularized the slipdress, in an era when the modestly tailored frocks worn by Lucille Ball and Doris Day were still the norm.

"Can you make this for me in a sky blue lightweight cotton, please?"

Liz was probably more notorious for her marriages and scandalous affairs than she should have been. Her lovelife seems tame by today's standards, especially when you take into account how many MEN in sports, entertainment, and politics have done the same thing. Gossip rules when you are still around. It is only suddenly after you are gone people that remember the wonderful things about you.
Elton John said, "we have lost more than just a Hollywood giant, but more importantly we have lost an incredible human being."
That is how I would like to remember Liz.