Who are today's inspirational women and how do we feel about current female role models?

[JustineMumsnet]

I'm attending an event tonight which is discussing today's inspirational women and wanted to pick your brians please.

Who are your role models - do you have them, do they bear any resemblance to those that tend to top the lists in the meeja? Are there women that you find inspiring and why?

YES to Camila Bunpronounceablename

Hillary clinton, Princess Ann, Brigit Riley (I love her colours, made so much sense)

The Muslim columnist, who I cannot remember) and whilst I loathe Ms Jolie's man eating, meedja created maybe, I think she's a great ambassador and mother.

Oh yes, Shami too!

Who are the current female role models? Are they all off the telly with lines of consumer goods to promote?

Personally I don't think it is enough to be a shrewd businesswoman any more. I understand it isn't that easy for women in a business world but it's no longer the 1950s.

I too love Jeanette Winterson, even though she is as mad as a spoon.

Every time I read Sexing the Cherry I feel Huge and Powerful.

Also Margeret Atwood.

I also admire female comedians who perform funny, genderless comedy. Josie Long and Sarah Millican are two who spring to mind.

Oh, and Toni Collette for being a wonderful actress.

yes SWC i was thinking there must be mre, but then i thought..well, who -

Jenni Murry, Charlotte Green, jane garvey (all doing their thing)

JK Rowling - because she is fabulously talented

Anita Roddick.

Penelope Leach
Sheila Kitzinger
Paula Rego
Camila Batmanghelidjh

also Jane Tomlinson
was inspiring

I like that people like Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren are proper actors and aging gracefully without fecking up their faces

oh yes and many fabulous women writers most already mentioned not forgetting Doris Lessing

Baroness Susan Greenfield
Susie Orbach
Jeanette Winterson
Kate Cairns
Rose Griffiths
Justine and Carrie (there is a prize for this, right? )

Most of mine are personal tbh- no-one else would know them unless you lived near me!

There are also several mners who constantly inspire and motivate me, and provoke much cogitation.

You of course Justine.

I stand corrected - there ARE some good'uns.

If I had to pick a Brian I would probably go for Sewell, I love his fruity tones!

On the publicly known front, like CaptainNancy I find Baroness Susan Greenfield inspirational. I know there has been a lot of sniping over her leaving the Royal Institution, but I attended a lecture she gave once and she is a fantastic speaker who makes science compelling and understandable - we need more prominent female scientists like her.

I'm also slightly in love with Germaine Greer - sassy, intelligent, outspoken and a Shakespeare expert as well as all of that feminist stuff

Emma Thompson - great writer and actress, apparently lovely person AND the only person I know of who's taken her name off the Polanski support petition.

And she adopted a former child soldier (not in a creepy Madonna-style kidnapping way).

And she threatened to pull out of a film if the producers forced her young female co-star to lose weight.

In fact, just make her queen of the world please.

Also love Shami Chakrabarti - she is wonderful and every time I see her or hear her talking so much sense I want to cheer.

Fatina and Sabrina and the other women from Million Women Rise who are working to put together an international support and protest network for women around the world.

Carol Ann Duffy for breaking new ground and for her brilliant poems.

Malalai Joya who stood up and told the Afghan warlords what she thought of them to their faces, no wonder she's called "The bravest woman in Afghanistan" (although IMO all have to be brave just to survive).

I came on the thread to say Kat Banyard too!

Christine Lagarde, the French minster for economics - mega-intelligent and doing a job I still can't see them letting a woman do in this country, while looking lovely and looking not only her age, but way older than it

Shami Chakrabarti

Bidisha

Caitlin Moran

Harriet Harman

Mary Beard for holding her own against men in arguments and daring not be to groomed

and finally (forgive me Prolesworth) Theresa May

Quite a lot of the women already mentioned.

Aung San Suu Kyi for standing up for her principles, no matter what.

Every single woman who has the guts to take her children and walk out of an abusive marriage.

Vita Sackville-West (yes I know she's long dead) for having the balls to live her life exactly as she wanted.

not be too groomed I mean

Ellen Mcarthur

and Dora the Explorer (even though she isn't real)

Over here Justine!

I don't DO famous role models. There are famous women I admire for their acheivements, but I dont see them as role models iykwim.

If I have any role models at all, they're close family or friends. In parenting terms, my grandmother and MIL for example.