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COLEEN. KATE. SIENNA. IF THESE ARE THE BEST WOMEN ROLE MODELS WE'VE(Daily Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) WITH her glossy hair, dazzling smile and a neat line in feminine designer suits, who can fail to be impressed by Segolene Royal, the 54-year-old mother of four battling it out to be the next President of France. Whether the voters agree with her fiercely socialist politics or not, she has been described as 'illuminating' France. Lucky French women. What a contrast she is to the dismal collection of women who pass as role models in this country. Every time I look at a glossy magazine, I want to bang my head against a wall. If I had a daughter, who on earth would she find to admire here? How good it must feel for les dames francaises to see a strong, assertive, ambitious, healthily attractive, grownup woman written about so often. On these shores, we're engulfed by a tide of pictures and stories about women who've achieved absolutely nothing. We're drowning in a sea of daft, self-absorbed, talentless girlfriends of, wives of, daughters of famous men. How much more coverage can we bear about Trudi Styler (Sting's wife), Peaches Geldof (Bob's daughter), Jade and Lizzie Jagger (Mick's daughters) and Jemima Khan (what does she actually do?) I may lay down and scream if I have to read another word about Sienna Miller, a pretty girl who wears nice clothes. She has a thin body and even thinner talent. And we'd never have heard of her if she hadn't dated Jude Law. It's got to the point where 'just famous' or 'famous by association' appears to be enough. Case in point - who did Cosmopolitan pick to be the cover girl of its recent 35th birthday issue? COLEEN McLoughlin that's who - simply known as Coleen by celeb spotters. My idea of a celebrity cover when I was Cosmo editor 15 years ago was Madonna, a disciplined achiever of the highest calibre - but times have changed. Coleen's achievements? Er, being Wayne Rooney's girlfriend and, we are told, being a 'style icon'. She's lost her puppy fat and looks nice in frocks - despite her chunky legs. She's interested in fashion and goes to loads of style awards, and has been featured in Vogue and Hello! and has appeared on many magazine covers because she's - famous. She's shopped her way to celebrity status. It took a couple of years, acres of newsprint and hundreds of paparazzi shots of her clutching expensive designer bags. But now there's her style book and a GBP1 million book deal with Harper Collins. She's a 'celebrity journalist'. There's her bestselling fitness video. And after tears and torment, chronicled in detail for the tabloids, she's graciously overlooked Wayne's former brothel habit. So why Coleen and her 'accomplishments' seem 'just perfect' for Cosmo in 2007, still the most influential magazine for young women in Britain, bemuses me. It makes me want to throw myself out of the window. There's more to female life in Britain. There are women who are successful lawyers, doctors, surgeons, academics, campaigners, researchers, bankers, playwrights, producers, scientists, psychiatrists, businesswomen, women in engineering and technology, architects, designers, explorers, entrepreneurs and, dare I say it, politicians. But where are they in our consciousness? Why don't we see them? The trouble is they don't hang out at premieres, parties and restaurants or stagger out of nightclubs at 3am. They're not young or size zero. They tend not to expose acres of flesh, wear tight dresses, get drunk and go out knickerless. But what hope do they have of becoming beacons for the next generation when surveys tell us that - more than anything - women in their early 20s want to be footballers' wives? Grazia magazine says more of its copies fly off the shelves when Kate Moss is on the cover than any other star. KATE - who has to be the worst role model in modern history, and who at 5ft 7in and about 6 stone 11lb looks as if she's borderline anorexic - or cocaine thin. And still millions of women want to be her. Kate makes her fortune from her advertising contracts. Advertisers don't think 'role model' They think 'shareholders'. Her druggy boyfriend, skinny frame and slightly insolent stare spell rebellious youth. Youth equals sales. Advertisers want youth. Even the Americans have grownup women to aspire to, such as the stunning Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She plays the piano to concert pianist level. She strides the world wearing simple, well-cut suits and delivering American foreign policy statements in her own edited style. The media adores her. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is photographed and quoted in the New York Press every day. And no, she's not there because of Bill. She's there in spite of Bill. Even the House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is a svelte grandmother. When she speaks, she's news. They're all on the covers of magazines. We have no such news. No such covers. No such magazines. All we have left is empty-headed women with little talent and less to say. If I had a young daughter, I'd emigrate. Copyright 2007 Daily Mail. Source: Financial Times Information Limited - Europe Intelligence Wire. |