Older women in the public eye who you admire

[Cinammoncake]

Who will join me in my older woman appreciation thread?

I'll kick things off with Kirsty Wark. I think she's brilliant.

Dawn French
Dame Judi Dench
Julie Walters
Meryl Streep
If I can be half as strong and witty as them, I'll grow old happily.

Juliet Gellatley, the founder of Viva. She's a brilliant advocate for farmed animals and for human health and nutrition on a vegan diet. Viva's undercover investigations have exposed the horrors of animal agriculture and have brought about change in the industry.

Katie Hopkins. You’re kidding, right.

No I do get where PP is coming from.
She’s certainly not scared to speak her mind. Yes I fully agree, somethings she says are wicked and unnecessary.
However somethings I do find myself nodding in agreement.

She's no longer with us but Anita Pallenberg
A lady who really did make a difference to the world, her style has had a huge impact.
She lived her life on her own terms and I admire her for it.

The Queen.

Makes me laugh to see Sarah Lancashire described as ‘older’.

barry Sarah Lancashire is almost 55 so I'll take that as older, she's the same age as me. I certainly don't feel young anymore and I do consider myself as older now.

I'm loving all the wonderful mature woman that we have around us as role models for the older woman.

Older to me is someone over 75! Not blooming 55. Sarah Lancashire is the business.

Most of the above (except Hopkins and her ilk!) plus the wonderful Bonnie Greer, and equally impressive Dame Helena Kennedy.

I loved Kathy Burke in a recent documentary, I definitely admire her.

@barryfromclareisfit Well considering so many people emerging into the public eye these days are in their early 20s (or younger), I don't think there's anything wrong with labelling someone in their mid fifties as 'older'. It's not like we're labelling people as 'ancient and past it'.

Sarah Lancashire is bloody fantastic whatever age bracket you want to put her in anyway.

Jane Fonda
Lily Tomlin

Grace Jones. Another woman who does her own thing with zero fucks given.

There a tonnes but I love Jan Radar after watching this Ted Talk and then the Netflix documentary. She is just no-nonsense awesome.

www.ted.com/talks/jan_rader_in_the_opioid_crisis_here_s_what_it_takes_to_save_a_life/transcript?language=en

Sorry, autocorrect kicked in there, her surname is Rader.

Also Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

Vanessa Feltz

Helena Kennedy for me too.

John Bakewell. If I have half her mental acuity when I'm in my eighties, I'll be delighted.

And Angela Merkel. I think she's wonderful.

John Bakewell? Joan Bakewell, of course! Silly autocorrect.

Oh god yes, Joan Bakewell.

Betty Boothroyd.

(And I also understood the OP as meaning mature women rather than actually old. In my mind mid-50s onwards.)

It was me who said Alex Polizzi and yes I know she's not old. The OP said there was no specific age and as she's late forties and older than me I see her as a more mature woman

Dame Jenni Murray

Fiona Bruce and Kate Adie. Both hard-hitting, successful journalists with incredible stories to tell.

Beverly McLachlan, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.