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At the height of Elvis Presley's career, the highly successful singer was one of the most famous people in the world. With that in mind, people who don't know much about the singer may not realize how controversial Elvis could be.Known for his incredible singing voice, another key to Elvis' success was his stage presence which was very scandalous at the time due to the way he moved his hips. Even though Elvis remains popular to this day, his legacy certainly isn't squeaky clean.These days, the most controversial part of Elvis' legacy has to be what is known about his love life. Most notably, a lot of people look back on Elvis' life and want to know what happened between the legendary singer and Priscilla Presley.When Elvis and Priscilla met, he was 24 years old, and she was only 14 years old. Once people learn that fact, a lot of observers want to know how Elvis possibly got away with dating and eventually marrying someone he became involved with at such a young age.
Was There A Backlash To Elvis Presley Dating A 14-Year-Old Priscilla Presley?
If the world learned tomorrow that Shawn Mendes, who is currently 24 years old, was involved with a 14-year-old girl, it is extremely likely that his career would be over. With that in mind, it can be hard to understand how Elvis Presley got away with dating Priscilla Presley when she was that age.
According to what Priscilla Presley has said over the years, there seems to be two main reasons why Elvis Presley's career survived their relationship. The first of which is that when Elvis and Priscilla first became a couple, the masses had no idea.
In the years since the world first found out about Priscilla, she has spoken about her relationship with Elvis many times. While Priscilla has revealed some very controversial things about her relationship with Elvis, she has always made her loyalty to the singer clear right from the start.
In 1973, Priscilla spoke to the Ladies Home Journal in her first public interview. During the resulting conversation, Priscilla explained why she kept her relationship with Elvis secret while she dated him between the ages of 14 and 21.
"Oh, there were many possible reasons. I felt that he was publicized so much already; it was my own life, my own business. Or maybe it was because Elvis is so self-protective. He's his own man, a very understanding, compassionate person, and he accepts people fully. But as far as his personal life is concerned, he's very secretive."
If the public didn't know Elvis was dating a 14-year-old at the time, how could they be outraged? Of course, even though Priscilla remained secretive about dating Elvis doesn't mean that the media never found out about the couple.
What Was The Most Controversial Part Of Elvis Presley And Priscilla Presley's Relationship?
From a modern point of view, the most controversial fact about Elvis Presley's legacy is that he dated a 14-year-old when he was 24 years old. However, back when Elvis and Priscilla were a couple, he was never worried about dating someone so young.
In 1992, Elvis' close friend Joe Esposito was interviewed by Larry King. During that interview, Esposito was asked why Elvis wasn't worried about dating someone in their early teens.
"Because, you know, there was nothing going on at the time. They didn't do anything. So, you know, they were friendly, just getting to know or talk to each other. And you know, I don't know why it never scared him. It never frightened him."
In terms of Esposito's comment that "nothing was going on", Priscilla Presley has revealed she spent hours kissing Elvis during her early teens. However, Priscilla has consistently said she never slept with the famous singer until she and Elvis got married.
As it turned out, the aspect of Elvis and Priscilla's relationship that Colonel Tom Parker worried was too controversial had nothing to do with their age.
In order to allow their daughter to be close to Elvis, Priscilla's mom and stepdad allowed her to move in with the singer's father and stepmother. However, before too long, Priscilla wound up living in Graceland with Elvis.
At that time, the idea of living together out of wedlock was very controversial and Priscilla was nicknamed the "live-in Lolita". To quell what he thought was a controversy in the making, the famous singer's manager Colonel Tom Parker pressured Elvis to marry Priscilla.
Since it was a very different time, Elvis and Priscilla's relationship was seen as legitimate by most people once they were married.
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