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?

my mum is my role model but I'm not sure I can live up to her - she managed 3 children and a successful career

@LeninGrad

Sarah Waters, Martina Navratilova and Tilda Swinton.

First two for being out and proud, Martina particularly at a time when it wasn't easy at all. Tilda for doing interesting, non-traditional roles and having a different heterosexual home setup to the usual and talking about it unashamedly.

What kind of event is it?

It's an event put on by coutts and I'm on a panel with Joan bakewell, Camilla batmaghelli and sue mcgregor so that's my role models sewn up!

My list would definitely include Jane Tomlinson. I also think Linda Armstrong is pretty inspirational (Lance Armstrong's Mother)

Linda Armstrong

oh Joan Bakewell rocks too, had forgotten her!

(poor Sue is going to feel left out if no-one mentions her.)

I think there is something very significant for a lot of us about seeing older women in the public eye, not just because so many things ensure older women are invisible these days, but also if you have already ended your first career due to children it is very inspirational seeing women who are still doing stuff into their later years which suggests we still have decades of usefulness ahead of us!

nothing worse than only ever hearing about young people.

Justine, please say Not Katie Price, if you can do so in a pleasant way.
It makes me so depressed whenever I see her being held up as someone to emulate.

Ooh I am envious - love Joan and Sue.

The closest I've got to a role model is Eleanor Dodson, one of that rare breed, a female FRS, who probably none of you have heard of because she's too busy doing what she does to court the media (unlike Greenfield who unfortunately is more form than substance).

Here's a nice bit about her.

She's extraordinarily clever and extraordinarily nice too. She was of course also extraordinarily lucky to be mentored by Dorothy Hodgkin, who heads the list of non-current role models. Both leading scientists, both mothers.

Kate Adie.

And yy Harriet Harman, also Caroline Flint.

My current fave Diane Abbott for being so gorgeously soft-spoken and never resorting to interrupting and shouting down her opposers. Unfortunately all that makes her a great MP, but to be a leader (apparently) you have to be able to debate in a certain male aggressive way.

Ooh yes agree with dittany about not putting any woman down in the context of this. Hard to imagine a "great men" celebration where people say "oh yes but NOT that Chris Moyles". Irrelevant.

Thanks also for reminding me about Finn, was trying to remember her but got as far as Finn MacCool and gave up. :o

Coutts eh? i imagine they lay on a good spread.

if you meet a genial but desperate bloke by the name of Marcus, say hi from me...

Well, that wasn't precisely what I was suggesting!
I actually think it's important to say that there is a kind of celebrity who is often held up as being 'a role model' but who either has done things which are questionable in a feminist/social context, or who actually hasn't done very much at all apart from be well marketed.

I know Mervynne, but I think at a celebration it's not the time or the place. God knows the media love a report of a "bitch fight" so don't give them the material.

Fair enough. I do agree!

If you have to include celebrities, I look up to celebrities who have stayed grounded like Judy Dench, Maureen Lipman and Joanna Lumley.

Salma Hayak is pretty cool.

Oh Riven! For being inspirational. Plenty more MNetters inspire me. I lurk here to read words of strength and wisdom, not celeb autobiogs.

she cycled in the last olympic

Joanna Lumley for campaigning so tremendously for the Gurkhas

Gillian Duffy of Rochdale. Magnificent.

Germaine Greer for her work on feminism and her consistent anti-war stance.

Helena Kennedy
Harriet Harman
Sheila Jeffreys
Margaret Attwood

Aung San Suu Kyi
Nobody else really comes close for me. What an incredibly selfless, determined, steadfast, brave and inspiring woman. There are not enough superlatives!