I had a Significant Birthday this month – you know which one!
I decided to collect photos of famous women who wear their years beautifully. That is not to say that they look youthful, although some do. But you can somehow see their wisdom or resilience in their faces…instead of Botox or collagen, I hope.
If you think Jennifer Aniston or Tina Fey is “older,” then this is not the post for you…they are younger than me, ahem!
Hardly anyone talks about older men as they do older women. They are supposed to get more distinguished, so I haven’t included any here. I wish I could include more gender-bending older folks.
Without further ado, here are some cool people!
(Click any photo to start slideshow)
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- Ellen Degeneres, TV host
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- Michaelle Jean, diplomat
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- Margaret Atwood, author
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- Oprah Winfrey, empire owner
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- Diane Keaton, actor
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- K D Lang, musician
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- Jamie Lee Curtis, actor
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- Christine Lagarde, financier
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- Judi Dench, actor
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- Kate Bornstein, author
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- Patti Smith, musician
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- Annie Lennox, musician
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- Alice Walker, author
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- Angela Merkel, chancellor
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- Sigourney Weaver, actor
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- Frances McDormand, actor
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- Jeanne Beker, fashion reporter
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- Nikki Giovanni, author
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- Emma Thompson, actor
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- Helen Mirren, actor
Who would you include?
An Exacting Life 
I was hoping to see Helen Mirren in your slideshow! I would also add Gloria Steinem.
Good choice!
I would add Maggie Smith, Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, Catherine Deneuve, Tina Turner, Lauren Hutton – just to name a few.
All great additions!
Ah! Happy Birthday – I hope you had a wonderful celebration, Dar! I hope we’ll hear more about it in the monthly ‘celebration’ post!
I think your list of faces is wonderful and uplifting. Nobody new to add from me – I’m just busy picking some role-models from that list!
Thanks! Yes, you’ll hear more next week (not that it’s a grand tale to tell!)
Happy significant birthday 🙂
Thank you, Liz!
Your post has perfect timing. My birthday is today. It is not a so called monumental one, but I am proud to say that I am 43 years old and I am loving it.
I love the idea of seeing these ageless beautiful women as our role models.
Happy birthday! Not all of us can be glamorous and famous (speaking for myself anyway!) but we can live happily with our age and wisdom!
Annette Bening. Beautiful, talented, mid-fifties and proud of it.
Oh yes – great choice!
Happy Birthday!! You already got my favorite aging icon – Jamie Lee Curtis. I LOVE her!
Not sure if you ever saw my “significant birthdays” post, but if you’d like to feel comparatively like you’ve really got yourself together, check it out: http://ecocatlady.blogspot.com/2012/02/numbers-shmumbers.html
I got all fond of Jamie Lee Curtis when she published those uncensored photos of her body (readers can search Jamie Lee Curtis More Magazine in Google Images). She rocks! After reading your post I now feel the need to watch Sixteen Candles again!
Happy Birthday – I admire all your celebs – good choices. Three of my best friends have October birthdays and each of them is 10 years apart in age. On their significant years which also co-inside they have a joint party. They have done this since their 20 / 30 and 40 party, the most recent being their 50 / 60 and 70. I wonder if we will reach a 80 / 90 / 100 party!!
Thanks! That is so sweet about your friends.
Happy Birthday to you! I love everything about Margaret Atwood, including her environmental work.
I am trying to age gracefully, but man it is hard at times! I’m only a few years into my 40s, but there have been so many body parts degenerating of late – up close vision, knee, toe joints etc. – that I worry. Recently, I was told by a friend in her late 50s that she found her 40s harder than her 50s because there were so many new changes both mentally and physically. She was likely trying to make me feel better, and I just need to suck it up! Hey, this combined with my recent career break, maybe I am having my mid-life crisis now?! 🙂
Thanks! Well, since I was single throughout most of my 40s, I had a lot of relationship drama I could have done without at that age. Now that I am remarried, I am looking forward to a more peaceful decade!
I’d add Julie Walters, Julia Gillard and Victoria Wood and those other commenters have added.
Happy birthday. Hope you have a lovely day.
Thank you for the birthday wishes. I am ashamed to say I had to look up Julia Gillard. So much for international news coverage for me. UK readers will smirk that I tried to watch Dinnerladies with Rom but although I could follow the plot, I couldn’t understand what they were saying most of the time!
Don’t be ashamed. I don’t know the Canadian PM. You might be interested to Youtube Julia Gillard’s misogyny speech.
I love the Dinner Ladies. The accent was no problems for me, but I confess to sometimes not understanding a thick Scottish accent.
Love all of the women you posted! There is something to be said for aging gracefully and being happy to show off your age instead of being 50 years old and having so much plastic surgery in order to look like a 20 year old that your face looks like it is going to cave in. Plus older ladies with happy, animated faces are wonderful to behold.
Yeah, there are a few very sculpted faces out there that I deliberately didn’t include!
Not sure you’d know her but I’d add Jo Brand who I am currently watching on BBC2. Happy Birthday!
Thanks, Doris! After looking up Jo Brand, I am sorry I don’t know her work. I will have to remedy that!
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