News for 24 June 2012 has been brought to you by The Independent.
This article is an opinion piece by Jane Merrick, Political Editor of the Independent on Sunday
As a 14-year-old girl and keen runner, my role model was a young 1,500 metres athlete named Kelly Holmes. But when I turned 15, she was replaced by Kate Moss, who was edgy and stylish. She also made smoking a cigarette look cool, so I started smoking, too.
The potentially dangerous allure of skinny models in magazines is nothing new, but perhaps it is getting worse. So who do I want my little girl Amelia to grow up admiring, and why? Here are 10 women for starters, and the qualities that make them worthy of our admiration.
Indefatigability – Harriet Harman
To remain at the top of politics after surviving both the Blair and Brown governments is a considerable achievement
Bravery – Jessie J
She doesn’t drink or do drugs, campaigns against school bullying and is a role model for teens grappling with their sexuality
Intelligence – Stephanie Flanders
She can explain hedge funds and quantitative easing to those of us who didn’t pay enough attention in maths
Wit – Caitlin Moran
Moran’s book How to Be a Woman is the guide every teenage girl should read
Kindness – Martha Payne
Blogger on school dinners, 9, raised nearly £100,000 for Mary’s Meals, a charity, inspiring girls everywhere
Charisma – Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Space scientist and one of the BBC’s brightest new stars, who wants to get more inner-city pupils interested in the subject
Grit – Hope Powell
England women’s football coach who was the first woman to be given a professional coaching licence by Uefa
Diligence – Emma Watson
Fitting in a degree course at Brown University between careers as a model and actress
Altruism – Lorraine Barnes
Mother of two boys with cystic fibrosis who persuades celebrities to wear T-shirts with the slogan ‘Get it Off Your Chest’
Perseverance – Kanya King
Kicked out of university as a struggling single mother, she founded the Mobo awards and advises the Government on gun violence
Related articles
- Banned school meal blogger’s father in talks with council (scotsman.com)
- World gets second helpings of girl’s school dinner blog as ban is overturned (guardian.co.uk)
- Caitlin Moran in 2012: my take on the darling of mainstream feminism (feministmeup.wordpress.com)
- Jessie J: Too much make-up makes me look like a man in drag (nowmagazine.co.uk)
