Being a celebrity these days must be difficult, as every action and choice is closely examined and shared for the entire world to debate.
Maybe that has always been the case—leading a life in the public eye has always entailed drawing attention from cameras and flashing lights—but the emphasis is sharper now than it was decades ago because of sensationalized social media headlines and viral material.
A-list celebrities are scrutinized not only for their words and deeds but also for their attire, and this is especially true during the awards season. The 96th Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles last weekend, and as was to be expected, it was a highly publicized event.
A who’s who of stars and movie industry heavyweights graced the red carpet, and you can bet your bottom dollar that their costume selections were dissected like participants in a massive fashion design test on the internet.
One celebrity whose appearance was subjected to an especially close examination was Charlize Theron, who attracted attention with her shimmering black outfit.
CHARLIZE THERON attends the Radhika Jones-hosted 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California on March 10, 2024. (Image courtesy of Lionel Hahn/Getty Images))
As soon as the 48-year-old’s images appeared on social media, others started to leave disparaging comments. Her choice to wear a see-through outfit that exposed her panties was praised by some. Others weren’t as much.
“You look amazing in all of the pictures, are there any bad ones?”Someone penned something.
Stunningly beautiful, another person said.
A third made the joke, “This woman is stunningly gorgeous.”
“This woman is just amazing, with great dedication to acting, producing, and social assistance,” remarked a fourth.
As is usually the case when public figures reveal themselves to the public, Theron’s appearance was praised by a number of critics as well.
Someone wrote, “Not a good choice.”
Another said, “You look great, but this clothing is awful [sic].”
A third said, “Yuk—too thin.”
“I am her fan, but I don’t like her hair here. She’s so skinny and the dress, hmm, no,” commented another.
Theron has already given candid speeches about her style choices and encouraged others to always follow their emotions.
She said to People last year, “I think there should be no faux pas.”
“I truly believe that it’s not a faux pas if you just go by how you feel and how much you love it.”
The actress commented at the time, “I mean, there are a lot of dresses that I know people didn’t like, but I’m like, I looked at myself in the mirror that night and I was feeling myself,” in reference to the ensembles that sparked a strong reaction from critics.
Charlize Theron looked amazing at the Oscars, in my opinion! Share your opinions with us in the comments section.
Their Love Story Started with Hate Letters—See How This Interracial Couple is Winning Today
Actor Leslie Uggams has had an exciting career in both theater and film.
Even with a remarkable career spanning seven decades, the singer and actress from Harlem is best known for her role in the *Deadpool* series.
However, her marriage to White Australian Grahame Pratt in 1965 challenged expectations for interracial relationships, making her life story worthy of a movie.
In 1953, Leslie, a talented singer, recorded a song for MGM when she was just 10 years old. Her aunt, soprano Eloise Uggams, recommended that she attend the famous Julliard School of Music in New York and the Professional Children’s School of New York.
But her career didn’t stop after her musical success; in 1969, she hosted *The Leslie Uggams Show,* the first network variety show hosted by a Black person since *The Nat King Cole Show.*
However, Leslie got to know and fell in love with actor Grahame Pratt behind the scenes. During one of her famous tours in Australia, the pair reconnected in Sydney after first meeting as students at the Professional Children’s School in New York.
Leslie was aware of the challenges of dating a white man because she had dated one in her youth and her aunt had discouraged her from thinking about a future with him. Leslie shared with Ebony in 1967, “I remember the shock I felt once when I was dating a white boy.”
He sent me a color photo of himself. I showed it to my aunt. He was a young, attractive man with nice hair. I thought he was very good-looking. But my aunt lectured me after she saw the picture. “Well, I guess he’s alright,” she said, “but only on dates, huh, honey? When you’re ready to settle down, you’ll marry a nice [Black] fella, won’t you?”
Leslie said that after their lucky meeting, she kept visiting Grahame.
“At just 21 years old, it was surprising that I started to fall in love with him.”
It would be a full year before she saw him again after she left Australia.
Leslie was worried about how her family would react and what would happen if Grahame moved to the U.S. for her job, but despite her worries, they had fallen in love. When they had been engaged for five months, Grahame visited her in New York.
“I wanted to know if my family would truly accept Grahame and not just tolerate him, knowing their views on mixed marriages,” she said.
Leslie didn’t have to worry because Grahame was Australian.
“Many white Americans feel awkward about their situation, but he didn’t.” He got along well with my friends, so he easily fit in with them. And both the men and women liked him.
While living in New York, Leslie said she received hate mail because of their marriage, even though they didn’t face the same racial issues as many others in the country.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Leslie said about her marriage, “It wasn’t as difficult as I expected. I think it’s because Grahame wasn’t a white man in America.” Naturally, they did receive some negative mail.
Leslie shared, “I sometimes get anonymous letters about being married to a white man when I go on tour in the United States. I remember getting one, of all places, in Detroit.” It was addressed to “The Little Negro Entertainer.” Those letters were painful to read and often used that term.
Grahame took on the role of Leslie’s manager, and the couple had two daughters, Danielle in 1970 and Justice in 1976.
Leslie got the lead role in the miniseries Roots in 1977, a year after their second child was born. For that role, she was nominated for an Emmy for her character Kizzy.
Two years later, she played Lillian Rogers Parks in the miniseries Backstairs at the White House, earning another Emmy nomination for Best Actress.
In 1983, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for hosting the NBC game show Fantasy, and in 1996 she played Rose Keefer on All My Children.
Leslie has also made appearances on shows like Family Guy, I Spy, Hollywood Squares, The Muppet Show, The Love Boat, and Magnum P.I.
After fifty-five years of marriage and a granddaughter named Cassidy, Leslie and Grahame are still happily together.
“We have a lot of fun together, but it’s not always sunshine and roses,” Leslie said about their happy marriage. “We enjoy being together.”
Their love has stood the test of time and defied expectations. They support each other because they are loyal to one another and have always helped each other.
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