In 1968, she was "Barbarella," a bombshell astronaut from the 41st century who fought to save the galaxy.
In 1972, she was called a traitor.
What changed for Jane Fonda? A trip to North Vietnam.
The actress had protested the Vietnam War for a couple of years, even being arrested at one point for handing out antiwar leaflets. She was very vocal in her criticism of the war.
But it wasn’t until she visited Hanoi in July 1972 that she changed the way people would view her for decades.
While in North Vietnam, she went on the radio to appeal to U.S. pilots to stop bombing non-military targets.
But it wasn’t the radio appearance that caused controversy. It was a photo taken with the Viet Cong that enraged many, and still angers veterans today.
Fonda has worked to reinvent herself in the decades since — as a movie star and a fitness guru — and has apologized for the photo.
For many veterans, however, it doesn’t matter. She will always be “Hanoi Jane.”
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