Diane Shipley writes of the iconic women we love: past and present...
Oprah Winfrey.
Of course. I'm not saying the woman doesn't have her flaws but she's inspiring for so many reasons (just ask Keris - Oprah changed her life!)
After surviving a difficult childhood in which she was sexually abused (having a baby as a result, which later died), Oprah was determined to build a great life for herself in adulthood. And she has: her TV programme is the most-famous talk show in the world and has been going for over twenty years. Opie doesn't just present though - she owns production company Harpo, publishes brilliant and insightful magazine O, produces Broadway plays and is an Oscar-nominated actress.
In survey after survey, she's ranked as the most influential woman in media, heck one of the most influential people in the world. Not bad for a poor girl from Mississippi.
Thank goodness then, with all her wealth, that she's famous for her philanthropy. Yeah, she still has more money than anyone needs, but she gives huge chunks of it to charity, to viewers of her show, and to enterprises like schools for girls in South Africa. Ya can't blame the girl for occasionally blowing a mil or two on fancy parties!
But Oprah's also brilliant because of her personal life: she hasn't bent to conventional pressure to marry and have children with low-key long-time boyfriend Steadman Graham.
And she's been very open about her struggle to lose weight and feel good about herself, which has involved healing the wounds of her past. Today she's a beautiful woman inside and out, and tries to inspire other women to feel great about themselves, too. Plus her long friendship with American news anchor Gayle King proves the importance of female friendship to even the most powerful of people.
Confident, charismatic and kind (if occasionally given to attacks of ego), I hope she's a presence on our screens for a looooooooooooooong time to come. Go Oprah, go Oprah!
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...
