We must teach girls to push boundaries and fly solo like I’m A Celebrity star Carol Vorderman
Women may still be judged on how they look but slowly things have changed
I WAS interested to read Carol Vorderman’s account of her mother’s advice on ageing, which was spookily similar to advice my mother gave me.
“My mother told me that from 50 it was downhill,” said Carol, who is 56.
“I absolutely don’t agree. I’m finally living the life I’ve always wanted and loving every second. I’m living the dream.”
Carol has spent her life and her career pushing boundaries.
She went to university in the days when not many women did. She also went fearlessly into the male-dominated world of maths and engineering.
Interestingly, one of her motivations was her desire to have a different life to her mother, who was forced to depend on her husband for money.
Carol said: “My mother was very dependent financially on her husband. I didn’t want that. That’s been a driving force.”
Given that the latest estimate of Carol’s worth is £18million, I’m guessing she is relishing every moment of her financial independence.
But it’s not just about money. She’s really living the life she wants to live.
She trained to become a pilot at the age of 50, then quit her regular slot on Loose Women to fly solo around the world.
And she’s just gone into the TV jungle for a reported six-figure fee (but I’m guessing she’s doing it for the experience rather than the money).
Love her or loathe her, there is no denying that Carol is a pretty spectacular role model for any woman over 40 — her career is positively flying.
My mum also told me that women of 50 become suddenly invisible.
And the truth is that for her generation, that may well have been the case.
When my mother was in her prime, women were valued for their looks — and their youth — above all else.
But slowly, things have changed. Yes, women are still judged by their appearance.
But I won’t be telling my daughter to expect to slip out of view by the age of 50.
In fact, in my experience, women in business are usually in their fifties when they get to the top.
For actresses the invisibility curse used to start even younger, at around 30. But that’s changing too.
Only the other day, Charlize Theron said she actually gets more jobs now she’s older.
So what has changed? The biggest thing is a huge shift in attitude among women. We no longer need men to look at us to feel good about ourselves.
It’s not about what men think about us, it’s what we think about ourselves that matters.
In Britain today there are more and more examples of women who are in their prime not just at 50 but well beyond — because women are being judged increasingly by how they do the job over whether they look good or not.
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Take Mary Berry, who at 81 is the Queen of Telly and respected above all for her experience, her knowledge and professionalism.
Then there is Glenda Jackson, who at the age of 80 is getting rave reviews as King Lear at London’s Old Vic.
There’s also Dame Judi Dench, 81, Dame Maggie Smith, also 81, and Dame Joan Collins, who at 83 is more glamorous than ever.
In continuing to do what they do so well, these women are nudging the glass ceiling towards breaking, slowly but surely showing the world they are so much more than just a pretty face.
Sure, youth is still valued and ageism does exist — just look at the coverage of Hillary Clinton versus Donald Trump.
Throughout her campaign, Hillary was often referred to as looking “tired” which, as everyone knows, is code for old.
I don’t recall seeing the same word applied to Trump, who is older than Clinton.
But it’s important to dwell on the positives, not the negatives. And not to lose hope.
In her very gracious concession speech, Hillary’s regret that she did not shatter the ultimate glass ceiling this time around was eclipsed by a more important message: “Someday, someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think.”
Her advice in the meantime to women and girls everywhere was to: “Never stop believing that fighting for what’s right is worth it.”
Sure, we may not yet have a female President in the US but we all need to keep pushing away at that glass ceiling.
Hillary’s words are a reminder that there are always setbacks, that Rome wasn’t built in a day and all of us need to keep pushing our girls, because the world needs more strong women.
“May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”