Helen Mirren without make-up is a real beauty
Helen's natural photo showed a healthy contempt for the dangerous trend of heavily filtered, seemingly 'perfect' images of famous women that clog up our social media
JUST when I thought it was impossible to love Helen Mirren more, she does something so audacious you want to stand up and cheer.
Now, it might not seem all that important for a woman to post a make-up-free selfie, but when she is an Oscar-winning icon, then it becomes a very big deal indeed.
Helen has always been a bit of a rebel and with that natural photo she showed a healthy contempt for the dangerous trend of heavily filtered, seemingly “perfect” images of famous women that clog up our social media.
This was a hearty “up yours” to the cult of Kim Kardashian and the other self-obsessed reality stars who spend their lives pouting into their phones then painstakingly eradicating all their perceived flaws.
The photos they post make them look like bug-eyed aliens with complexions like hard-boiled eggs.
Helen’s “naked” photo without any make-up is just as beautiful as the one taken later where she’s red-carpet ready.
In fact, there are many people who think that she looks better without all the slap.
What’s makes Helen’s stance even more impressive is that it doesn’t come from a place of supreme self-belief.
I was taken aback when I spoke to her last month and she revealed she was actually really shy and nervous walking on to a film set as she never felt as good as everyone else.
She was genuinely astonished to be told that fellow actors are completely in awe of her talent and reputation.
Helen’s message with that photo was simple but very strong. It’s about being proud of who you are and embracing growing older.
Helen is 72. She has laughter lines and grey hair, but she could easily have gone to the Oscars without being all gussied up and still have been gloriously alluring.
It’s about being authentic and not relying on artifice and air brushing.
Look at the wonderful Best Actress Oscar winner Frances McDormandShe’s comfortable in her own skin, has no vanity and, as a result, was the brightest star in the room..
Celebrate wrinkles
I don’t think she even put a comb through her hair for the ceremony last week, (and my pal, stylist Mark Heyes, says he wears more make-up than she does) but Frances’s fierce intelligence and passion were mesmerising.
She’s comfortable in her own skin, has no vanity and, as a result, was the brightest star in the room.
Both these incredible women at the top of their game have held up a mirror to all of those others snapping at their heels and told them that you don’t have to play the game by anyone else’s rules.
Of course there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look your best for a special occasion or being smart and stylish at work, but it should be on your own terms.
You don’t need to go under the knife, cake your face in thick foundation and spend ages fiddling with filters striving for a skewed idea of what “flawless” should look like.
We should all take our lead from Dame Helen.
Don’t put yourself under pressure.
Don’t be afraid to show your true self and celebrate your wrinkles and wobbly bits.
And above all, give yourself a break.
Young voices are finally being heard
SLOWLY but surely, the young men and women caught up in the horrific gun massacre at their Florida school are changing hearts and minds.
They vowed that no other pupils should go through the trauma and terror they suffered when 17 people were murdered in their school in Parkland, Florida, by a 19-year-old maniac who was able to get his hands on powerful semi-automatic weapons.
They have gained supporters from all over the USA, especially among fellow young people who are sickened by the US government’s intransigence and impotence when it comes to gun control.
Famous faces have also added their voices, including the stars of the hugely popular comedy Modern Family.
They are urging as many people as possible to join the March for Our Lives in Washington DC on March 24 to demand a change in US gun laws.
George Clooney and his wife Amal will be there, standing shoulder to shoulder with the victims of gun crime – parents mourning children, sons and daughters who have lost their mums and dads.
This time it really feels as though there’s a willingness to end the madness and to stop killers being able to legally buy weapons and commit mass murder.
If there is a change, it will all be down to the idealistic American youth and not the jaded establishment.
All power to them.
Ru's race a winner
I’M dangerously obsessed with Ru Paul’s Drag Race, which remains one of the most entertainingly laugh-out- loud shows on anyone’s (ahem) box.
This new series of Drag Race: All Stars, on Comedy Central, which brings back some of our favourite drag queens to compete against each other, is the best so far.
Ru Paul remains one of the most astonishingly gorgeous human beings, the humour is earthy, bitchy and zingy, and all the queens are fierce and fabulous.
There’s a twist that’s genuinely jaw-dropping and I urge you to stock up on popcorn and prosecco and prepare for a life-changing treat.
Midwife cry-sis
WHO are those cynics still referring to Call The Midwife as cosy, simpering and twee?
Have they actually watched this show?
Last week I was so traumatised I thought I would need counselling after the fresh and lovely Nurse Barbara kicked the bucket in beautifully written and acted scenes that had me and the rest of the nation in floods of tears.
All credit to actress Charlotte Ritchie, who gave the genuinely good and thoroughly decent Nurse Barbara real depth. She also made us care deeply that Barbara is no longer with us.
Every week Call The Midwife tackles problems such as racism, sexism, poverty, domestic violence and religious bigotry and everything doesn’t always turn out all right in the end.
Of course, Barbara’s demise leaves Rev Tom utterly heartbroken, just like his former girlfriend Trixie, who is currently in rehab in the south of France battling her drink problem.
Could these two find some sort of solace in each other’s arms? It would be most fitting as in real life Tom (actor Jack Ashton) and Trixie (Helen George) are partners and have just had a baby girl together.
It would be the perfect solution, but in Call The Midwife you can never depend on a happy ever after.
It's got to end, period
ALMOST 140,000 girls were unable to go to school last year because they didn’t have sanitary protection.
Their families simply couldn’t afford to buy pads or tampons.
What’s even more shocking is that this isn’t going on in the Third World but here in the UK.
I’m not only aghast, I’m furious that our little girls are humiliated, upset and missing out on education because of something that is part of being female.
They are forced to use toilet paper, cotton wool and extra underwear, which is uncomfortable and leaves them fretting about leaks.
Even more worryingly, to save money, some aren’t changing tampons frequently, putting their health at risk. And some are so embarrassed they stay off school.
Being a teenage girl is tough enough without all of these extra concerns.
Usually it’s the most vulnerable girls who are affected. Girls from poor families, broken homes, or with parents who don’t give a damn.
Taboo subject
In the light of these appalling stats, Always is giving away five million pads. This is incredibly generous but there needs to be a long-term solution.
Surely it is time these products were made freely available for those in need.
When I was growing up in what was described as a “deprived” area of Glasgow, the school provided supplies for girls who were caught by surprise when their periods arrived, or who couldn’t afford to buy them from the chemist.
Sadly, menstruation is still a taboo subject and some mothers even find it hard to talk to their daughters about it.
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Of course, the only thing that’s shameful is that we actually have “period poverty” in Britain in 2018.
BGT judge Alesha Dixon, above, has given her support to the campaign, asking you to share a picture of yourself at school, with the heashtag #endperiodpoverty.
For every purchase or share, Always will then donate a product to the campaign.