Mary Tyler Moore People Magazine Obit Sexy Housewife

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Screen legend Mary Tyler Moore died today. She was a Hollywood legend with many illustrious honors to her name and plenty of charity work under her belt. She also trail-blazed a path for women on TV. But People magazine decided to highlight a totally different aspect of Moore's career. In its obituary for Moore, People states that she was "TV’s first sexy housewife" before mentioning anything else. The rest of the article does enumerate all of the ways that Moore changed the landscape for women in media. However, that opening sentence definitely felt out of place in a story that was intended to celebrate Moore's life and work. It didn't go unnoticed. Twitter user Molly Mulshine spotted the declaration pretty quickly.

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LOL People, did you forget to edit this pre-written obit... https://t.co/EoFV3zPeYw pic.twitter.com/EIqjkC7URw
— Molly Mulshine (@mollymulshine) January 25, 2017

Instead of focusing on her role on The Dick Van Dyke Show, others on Twitter decided to shine a light on different aspects of Moore's career, like how she paved the way for women years after The Mary Tyler Moore Show aired. Moore showed generations of women that hard work and determination could get them anywhere.

#MaryTylerMoore a great role model for an 8yo aspiring journalist in 1970s pic.twitter.com/81uambC1kl
— Amy Berkley (@Amysberkley) January 25, 2017

So sad my hero #MaryTylerMoore has passed! She meant so much to me! Iconic,brilliant,full of grace! Love you forever? pic.twitter.com/oBG1OwgXwM
— Maureen McCormick (@MoMcCormick7) January 25, 2017

Thanks for the first real image of a woman being independent, funny & vulnerable. Thank you for changing the face of TV, #MaryTylerMoore! pic.twitter.com/3rZbPczSnF
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) January 25, 2017

RIP #MaryTylerMoore, who through her character was a role model for working women & proved that it's really brunettes who have more fun. ??
— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) January 25, 2017

A few people even pointed out how Moore's character stood out from cookie-cutter TV tropes by doing revolutionary things like dating younger men and living alone.

#MaryTylerMoore is an inspiration. A genuine bachelorette, she frequently dated men 10 or more years younger.
— Babs (@Cocolicquot) January 25, 2017

Growing up in my small town the only woman I knew with a career&her own apartment was #MaryTylerMoore. Some role models are in technicolor.
— Jenni Tilton-Flood (@jtiltonflood) January 25, 2017

People, let's get one thing straight: She may have been sexy, but she was so much more than that.

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