Weekend Story - The photo that launched millions of side-eyes

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Sixty-five years ago, Hollywood’s two most glamorous sex symbols created a moment that still fascinates. The most famous side-eye in history belongs to Sophia Loren, caught glancing at Jayne Mansfield’s rather… abundant charms.

The photo was taken at a Paramount party in Beverly Hills in 1957, held in honor of Loren, then a newcomer to Hollywood. The guest list glittered with stars, but the last to arrive was blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield. She made sure every head turned as she sat down at Loren’s table, alongside actor Clifton Webb.

Mansfield’s barely-there dress was part of a calculated publicity stunt, designed to shift the spotlight away from the Italian newcomer. And it worked - cameras clicked furiously as Mansfield’s plunging neckline revealed more than the censors could handle.

Loren’s gaze, frozen forever in that iconic image, told the whole story. “I’m staring at her nipples,” she admitted years later. “I was afraid they were going to come onto my plate. Boom! And spill all over the table!”

But time softened her take. In her memoirs, she wrote that she never intended ridicule, only that she felt embarrassed and didn’t know where to look. “I have nothing against Jayne Mansfield,” she explained. “She was just showing off, and she was known for that.”

And in a touching gesture, Loren revealed she never autographs that famous photo, though fans ask her often. “I don’t want to have anything to do with that. And also out of respect for Jayne Mansfield because she’s not with us anymore.”

So, what began as a cheeky snapshot has lived on as a piece of Hollywood lore - proof that sometimes a single glance can tell a whole story, and that respect lingers long after the flashbulbs fade.

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