How Betty White's style evolved in 35 photos: comedy's 'Golden Girl' remembered


Farah Andrews
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Comedy star Betty White died on December 31, aged 99. With a career spanning more than 70 years, there is no doubt that her style changed over the decades.

The beloved Golden Girls star began her rise in the 1950s, during which period she can be seen wearing demure dresses and veiled hats in her headshots, and floral dresses and stunning gowns on TV sets.

Fast forward into the 1980s and 1990s, sparkle was the name of White's sartorial game. For red carpet appearances and awards shows, she didn't shy away from giving her outfits a little pizzazz, donning metallic gold gowns, sequinned jackets and crystal blouses on multiple occasions.

Estelle Getty, Betty White and Beatrice Arthur wear a trio of metallic gowns to attend the 'Night of 100 Stars' recording on May 5, 1990, at Radio City Music Hall. Photo: Shutterstock
Estelle Getty, Betty White and Beatrice Arthur wear a trio of metallic gowns to attend the 'Night of 100 Stars' recording on May 5, 1990, at Radio City Music Hall. Photo: Shutterstock

In her later years, she often went bold, with colour blocking and two- or three-piece sets. The actress wore head-to-toe turquoise, cyan, red and green, often accessorising with glittering handbags, sparkling shoes and eye-catching jewellery.

Betty White wasn't afraid to repeat red carpet looks, seen here in 2004 and 2010. Getty Images
Betty White wasn't afraid to repeat red carpet looks, seen here in 2004 and 2010. Getty Images

She was also not afraid to repeat a red carpet look. In Hollywood, where many shy from being seen wearing the same outfit twice, she repeated her favourite looks time and time again. A sheer floral jacket got outings for events in June 2007, August 2008 and January 2012, and she sported a lilac and green two-piece for the TV Land Awards on March 7, 2005, and later for the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards on August 29, 2010.

The actress, who is remembered as beloved Hollywood royalty, said her career longevity was a result of good health, good fortune and loving her work.

“It's incredible that I'm still in this business and that you are still putting up with me,” White said in an appearance at the 2018 Emmy Awards ceremony, where she was honoured for her long career.

“It's incredible that you can stay in a career this long and still have people put up with you. I wish they did that at home.”

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Anxiety and work stress major factors

Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.

A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.

Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.

One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.

It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."

Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.

“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi. 

“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."

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Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.

“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”

Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.

The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.

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Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away

It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.

The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.

But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.

At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.

The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.

After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.

Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.

And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.

At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.

And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.

* Agence France Presse

Updated: January 05, 2022, 3:19 AM