Sophia Loren Feared A Jayne Mansfield Wardrobe Malfunction In Famous Pic

Sophia Loren has been known for many things throughout her awesome life, but one of the most memorable images of her included another celebrity icon. The image of Sophia Loren glaring at the cleavage of Jayne Mansfield has been iconic for 57 years, but no one ever really knew why the sideways glance was truly given.

That is, until now.

Back in 1957, a party brought together some of the biggest A-List names in Hollywood, and there were plenty in attendance in Beverly Hills. According to the Huffington Post, the shade-throwing glare given by Loren wasn’t just to catch a quick glimpse or to admire Mansfield’s assets.

As Mansfield arrived next to dead last at the party, the soon-to-be 24-year-old looked beautiful with her blonde hair flowing and her dress showing what she was given. She went and sat down at a table that already had a seated Loren, and the glare heard around the world was photographed.

“She came right for my table. She knew everyone was watching. She sat down. And now, she was barely … Listen. Look at the picture. Where are my eyes? I’m staring at her nipples because I am afraid they are about to come onto my plate. In my face you can see the fear. I’m so frightened that everything in her dress is going to blow — BOOM! — and spill all over the table.”

Sophia Loren spoke with Entertainment Weekly as the release of her memoir Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: My Life is about to happen, along with a tribute to her at the AFI Fest.

The party back in 1957 had actually been put together for Loren and was organized by Paramount. She said that it was an amazing time with all of cinema there, but when Mansfield arrived, “that was when it got amazing.”

Loren does know that there are other pictures from the party that show her laughing and some light-hearted moments as it wasn’t just her staring at Mansfield’s chest for the evening. Still, this has been the famous shot for so many years and even Loren believes that “This is the only picture.”

In a bit of a classy move, Sophia Loren admits that the picture is often given to her and fans ask her to autograph it due to its iconic nature. She stated that she just won’t do it and she doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. Loren states that she also does it “out of respect for Jayne Mansfield because she’s not with us anymore.”

[Image via Joe Shere / mptvimages.com]