Diane Shipley writes of the iconic women we love: past and present...
Ellen Degeneres.
I've been an Ellen Degeneres fan for years and at last the rest of the world has woken up to her talent, too.
I watched and loved her '90s sitcom Ellen, read her book My Point... And I Do Have One, and bought her stand-up show on DVD. Then Degeneres shocked me: she came out as gay. It wasn't the fact that she's a lesbian that was such a surprise, but the fact that both she and her character came out on national television, in an episode of her show featuring Oprah as her therapist. It was bizarre, to say the least, and although I admired the fact that the star of a top-rated sitcom was being honest about her sexuality, the show became very focused on that one theme from then on - campaigning for gay equality rather than telling a good story. Ratings slipped, DeGeneres was called a degenerate (oh ha ha ha) and the plug was pulled. Not to mention the turmoil in Ellen's private life, too: after being a high-profile Hollywood couple for three years, her actress partner Anne Heche left her... and married a man.
It would have been easy for Ellen to become one of those "Didn't she used to be...?" stories but she didn't. She picked herself up, dusted herself off, and started again.
First she took a little mis-step with another sitcom, The Ellen Show, which was cancelled after one season but in 2003 she launched her own talk show - a lighthearted alternative to Oprah. The show rocks thanks to Ellen's trademark silly self-deprecating sense of humour (and the fact that she makes her audience dance before the show begins, of course...) She's won Emmys for the show and this year was asked to host the Oscars, making her the first openly gay person ever to do so.
I also admire Ellen for having her own style (suits and sneakers) and sticking to it, and for being so passionate about feminism and each woman's right to great self-esteem. I'm so happy she managed to turn things around. She now lives in the hills of California, is friends with Rob Lowe and partners with the gorgeous and talented Portia di Rossi. She's definitely having the last laugh.
Who are your favourite female icons, past and present? Let us know!
Diane co-edits Shiny Media’s fabulous women’s fiction blog, Trashionista and contributes to TV Scoop and Catwalk Queen, as well as writing a personal blog, What Do You Do? She even leaves the house occasionally...
