Is Kim Kardashian a woman to be admired?
It’s 3pm, I’m drinking tea and I check twitter. I see an article in one of Melbourne’s daily papers called, ‘50 Women You Should Admire’. I studied this list thoroughly and for the most part agreed with the humanitarians, politicians and journalists on the list yet what was more interesting to me than who WAS on the list was who wasn’t.
As a child my heroines were Anne Frank, Harriet the Spy, Joan of Arc and of course, The Spice Girls. We don’t have to beat around the bush, I was a total nerd alert. I loved Anne for her wit and confidence, Harriet for her curiosity and search for the truth, Joan for proving that whatever a man could do, a woman could do better and the Spice Girls for teaching me about girl power and self confidence.
Three months ago, during the Spring Carnival, our lucky country was invaded by one of the creatures from the bottom of the pit of inspiration… a Kardashian. A girl sobbing at an airport is asked by a reporter just what it is that she loves about Kim Kardashian. The reply? “She’s just like soooo pretty!!” I died a little bit inside.
So as this article from the tabloid paper that seems to solve life’s problems with the question ‘What Would Warnie Do’ loaded, I felt nervous. There were a number of really inspirational women on this list, yet for every Aung San Suu Kyi there was an Angelina Jolie… really?
The most fascinating entry genuinely shocked me. I needed to do a comical look back to make sure it wasn’t a joke. Tragically, it was not and among the Moira Kellys of the world was the name that made the entire list a farce; Brynne Edelsten. I’ve no personal issue with Brynne but I find it hard to fathom that anyone working at this paper would look at their daughters and think, ‘Gee I hope these girls grow up to be JUST like Brynne Edeslten.’
What was more fascinating than the Brynne factor was who was missing from this list. There was Ellen Johnson Sireleaf, the President of Liberia and I thought, ‘Yep, it’s a really good effort to be a female leader of a country.’ There was Helen Clark, Hilary Clinton and Penny Wong; all of whom are admirable politicians. Yet one groundbreaking female politician was somehow missing from the list; Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Ms Julia Gillard.
Brynne Edelsten
Now, I don’t care which billionaire media mogul famous for not-so-nice tactics of journalism OWNS your damn paper or what his political ideology is, being the first female Prime Minister of this country is an AMAZING feat and well worthy of admiration. Much more amazing than marrying into royalty, marrying an old doctor, acting, wearing a meat dress… you know where this is going.
It got me to thinking, what does it mean to be an admirable woman? For me it is those women who inspire and I’m not talking about women who inspire you to buy pedal pushers this season because they’re like SO totally in right now. I’m talking about women who inspire you to pursue your dreams or to think differently or to do good or to voice your opinions.
In the past few years something in society has gone terribly, terribly wrong. Young girls look to the likes of Kim Kardashian for inspiration, values AND entertainment all rolled into one terrible role model. This woman who once spoke of her decision to “sacrifice my digital life to help give real life to millions of people affected by HIV and AIDS” and then followed it up with great wisdom and perspective saying, “I hate when women wear the wrong foundation colour… it might be the worst thing on the planet” is who many young, impressionable females to look up to. Ouch.
As I sit here, I can only hope there are young girls out there seeing right through home-made-pornstars-turned-socialites-turned-reality-tv-stars and are reading, learning and discovering amazing inspirational female role models. I hope these girls look at Lady Gaga and take a lesson in being an individual and being proud of who they are… not that meat dresses and drugs make you cool. If this isn’t the case, I’ll just sob into my cuppa as I read all about Kim Kardashian, Bombshell McGee and Sarah Palin in 2013’s top 50 women to admire.
Tess Armstrong is a twenty-something freelance host, producer and writer who is finally living the dream in the Big Smoke. Follow Tess on twitter here.
Comments
148 Comments so far
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I didn’t see this post before now… probably a good thing. My knee jerk response would not have been popular.
Without passing judgement on the women we are apparently supposed to admire, I would say this: the people I admire are the people who have made a difference to my life personally or who have made a difference to the lives of other. Those who devote their lives to contributing something valuable to the community. I don’t look up to people who are famous just by pure chance or because they are attention seekers or simply because they are attractive. I have nothing against those people personally – but they are not the people we should look to for inspiration. Brynne Eldersten and Kim Kardashian may live the high life – but they exist in the world as nothing more than a bit of decoration. And maybe a line of perfume or handbags. It scares me that this is the type of person we are told to place on a pedestal when there are doctors, nurses, firefighters, teachers, scientists, human rights lawyers, humanitarians etc etc who spend their whole lives helping, and often saving, other people.
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I agree with you that there are many women who make huge differences in the world…and they have my admiration. But I also think that there are women who shine because they have taught us something on a smaller, yet very valuable scale. Brynne has always chosen the high road in her response to criticism…and some downright rude and nasty comments directed toward her. She has always responded to harsh judgements and ridicule with dignity, poise, and kindness. She remains upbeat, positive and enthusiastic…and always stays true to herself. She provides a beautiful example that we can all use on varying scales. I aspire to emulate these qualities…and for this, I admire Brynne!
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Was Mia on the list?? haha what a suck up i am! but seriously i admire Mia and i have long before this site came along! I kind of think people like Angelina Jolie are people to admire! she does amazing work around the wolrd for refugees and is a UN ambassador! Lady Gaga may be an entertainer but she is using her position in the media to help with Gay rights! Although these people may not be someones idea of someone to admire, they are to others! i dont look up to people like Penny Wong as i am simply not interested in politics! Not saying that she is someone that should be less admired, im saying i personally dont admire her, yet i do of someone like Angelina! Everyone admires people for different reasons and just cos they didnt make a list of 50 people in the whole world doesnt mean they are less to be admired!
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I don’t think there is much to be admired about Kim Kardashian – she’s bolstered herself to fame with and now is profiting from sheer narcissism. I don’t think she’s a terrible person, but I really don’t think anybody should be talking about her either.
I admire Lorna Jane Clarkson – a female entrepreneur who has made her fortune from ingenuity and talent, plus her tights are freakin awesome!
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Where is Media Watch when you need them?
Lets join the dots…
Pacific Magazines is a magazine publisher operating in Australia and New Zealand, it is owned by Seven Media Group. It has its roots in the Southdown Press, the publishers of New Idea and long owned by the Murdoch family. All of these organizations are intertwined!
So, of course Murdoch’s newspaper The Herald Sun, is going to include Brynne Edelsten on a list of ’50 Women We Must Admire’. Of course Brynne and other channel 7 celebrities appeared on a recent cover of New Idea’s, Our Best Bodies issue, in January this year. Can you think of a better way to promote Brynne’s new reality TV show set to air on channel 7 in 2012?
Great publicity, right?
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So true!
There’s always a reason like this behind the articles that appear in mainstream media.
I was watching Channel 7 this morning and they had an ad (which, in itself is stupid, because the idea is that it is NEWS, not days-old stories) about how chefs are bringing gourmet cooking to the burbs.
Oh, and featured in the “news segment”? You guessed it, the contestants on My Kitchen Rules, the terrible show Channel 7 has obviously put all its hopes and dreams into for ratings this year. Watching the tennis was like an ad break from my kitchen rules ads!
I was OK with Big Brother contestants being obliged to appear on Rove after they were kicked out, I am OK with reality show contestants appearing on the breakfast shows when they’re eliminated, but can they please not masquerade their pathetic advertising as NEWS? Everyone sees straight through it.
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I’m a female electrician. I don’t look up to or admire anyone particularly, except of course my mum. I know some people look up to and admire me for having the guts to do what I do etc but seriously, it’s not that hard. It’s a job & I enjoy it. It hasn’t changed who I am…
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Well I know the women I least admire are the judgemental ones who bring other women down and form opinions such as ‘trash’, ‘porn star’ and ‘waste of space’ for women they DO NOT EVEN KNOW!
As for Angelina Jolie being rubbished? I’m not even a fan but gee bit rough that because she is beautiful and rich all her hard work with the UN can be ignored! This sort of bitchy post is what weakens and ridicules women.
As for people saying “I just don’t like being told who to admire”…..um we do realise just because an article is titled “women we should admire” does not mean you actually have to start admiring them? It’s an article and not admiring the women they present will not land you in jail!
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Could not agree with you more!
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Once again, just another mamamia post dragging down and insulting women. I believe Julia Gillard is inspirational but can that not be said without degrading Kim Kardashian and Lady GaGa?
The whole mamamia team need to watch Jenna Marbles famous youtube videos “Why girls hate each other” and “Sluts on halloween”. Take some notes.
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So obviously I don’t know any of these women personally… but I take offence to Angelina Jolie being rubbished as an inspirational woman. She’s a UN Ambassador, visits refugees all over the world and has adopted many children from war torn countries. No celebrity has done as much for adoption as she has! And yes, she’s ridiculously beautiful, but she rides motorbikes, flies planes and raises 6 kids. I’m sorry, how is that not inspirational?????
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Totally agree!
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She also spend millions on fancy houses and doesn’t actually parent the children she adopts.
They are raised by nannies who are forced to stay away from the family when they are out in public.
Don’t get me wrong, Jolie is bringing some much-needed attention to the issues in third-world countries, but it is all part of her carefully orchestrated plan to improve her persona.
She went from crazy-lady-married-to-Billy-Bob-with-blood-viles-who-kisses-her-brother to humanitarian God overnight, with a few sympathetic looks and adoptions so speedy it makes ordinary people trying to adopt just one child livid about the injustice of it all.
It’s all a carefully orchestrated PR campaign.
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Wow, rubbishing women who have achieved their dreams and are wildly successful, seems a little off to me, and frankly unoriginal. Whilst I am as sick of the Kardashian circus as the next person, Kim and her sisters have an enormous following, and believe it or not they do some good in the world. Of course the media focus on the negatives, its what “people” buy into. I don’t understand why you can’t admire different women for different reasons? Brynne Edesten (spelling??) should be a source of admiration for her sheer tenacity and her ability to hold her head up high. As far as I’m aware she hasn’t ever rubbished someone or declared them “unfit to be admired!” I admire and respect such a wide variety of women, but could never declare a person to be completely undeserving of my admiration. However, reading this article has made me lose respect for the writer, who seems to have a closed mind, and seems to be happy to jump on popular bandwagons to insult and denigrate people for living their lives as they see fit.
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Sorry to have offended you, Laura! More to the point, I didn’t want to rubbish anybody it was more to make note that we don’t need to be told by a tabloid paper who we MUST admire. What do we personally look up to in women? If these characters in society have traits that you genuinely admire, that’s totally fantastic! It’s just not that way for me, I’m not being a horribly nasty human being or anything like that… I just wanted (like so many in these comments have done) to discover who people look up to in their day to day lives and why is that the case.
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You make a good point, but really, it’s nothing new. Look back to the 50s and there’d be plenty of movie stars and singers and models and what-have-you in the mix, in fact more. I’d say look on the bright side – loads of truly admirable women there, a few socialites to get some sections of the market to read the story and look at the pics, and some clangers missed out – like Gillard. The most interesting thing about that is that though we are an often-leading country in terms of feminist policy, we are really, really bad at celebrating our successful women. Other countries have loved their first female leaders – even when they’re people like Maggie Thatcher, for goodness sakes! Both sides took note of the happening. Here, it’s not something we want to celebrate, and leading women are often derided in many fields. Why?
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I gather the whole point of the article was that it gave them an opportunity to INclude Sarah Murdoch and to EXclude Julia Gillard?
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I have to admit this article left a bad taste in my mouth. Pulling down one woman while praising others because they are seen as doing more worthy things with their life.
While I personally haven’t changed the world, run a country or helped eradicate a disease, I still hope that I am an inspiration to my family and friends.
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i absolutely admire julia gillard. she worked bloody hard to get where she got.
kim kardash et al, i have no respect for them. sure they work hard but they sold their soul long ago. i have never seen the show, i would probably enjoy the entertainment value, but respect them? no way.
brynne, i sort of admire for holding her head high against some pretty horrible insults. but worthy of my respect? again, no.
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OH I thought from the title that some-one had done a survey on who women admire, I was going to comment that no-one asked me!
Apparently it’s just the Melbourne Age’s idea of who we should admire though. I don’t read the Age since I live in Perth but it sounds like the list was dumb. Meh. They probably made it ridiculous on purpose so people would write outraged articles about it.
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and I absolutely admire Julia Gillard! She would be high on my list!
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I would like to hear peoples opinions on this.
I am eighteen, I work part-time, support myself, am completing a bachelor degree and my idols are Madonna, Beyonce and most importantly LARA BINGLE (shock horror!).
Obviously Madonna/Beyonce because they are great business women and seem genuinely nice. But – Lara Bingle?
I really admire Bingle. Why?
She had an affair with a married man, she sold her story hypocritically for $200,000 to the same magazine that humiliated her, she overreacted and flushed her engagement ring down the toilet. And after all of these embarrassing and stupid mistakes – she is still going. Working on herself, promoting a positive body image, standing up to the critics and not letting the media (which constantly beats her down) get the better of her.
It is her strong will and the fact that she is tangible, she makes mistakes like everyone (especially young girls like myself) that makes her admirable to me.
I would love to hear what people think!
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You lost me at “She had an affair with a married man.”
No one should be admired for that. Regardless of her actions after it.
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I don’t admire her because she had an affair because that was obviously the wrong thing to do. I admire her because she has made many, many mistakes (as young girls do) and has still continued her life, kept working and trying to better herself.
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honestly elle. i dont even know who this bingle chick is. but WHO CARES! if her strong will inspires you then let it inspire you. a person doesn’t need to gain their inspiration from someone great. it’s not what the person does but how they make you feel. seek to be strong. let no one stand in your way and most of all don’t let anyone EVER tell you how to think!
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Thank you
I completely agree!
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Bingle epitomises much of what is wrong with our “celebrity society” where becoming a WAG is held out as a career choice for a woman (usually). She is a waste of space.
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I pity you for holding up a self-centered twerp like Bingle up (don’t have much time for the other two either). If you want a case study in selfless care an compassion for others which is truly worthy of admiration, then i suggest you google Moira Kelly (not the actress).
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I didn’t say I admire Bingle for her compassion for others, there are other women that I admire for that. I admire her for her strong will.
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Tess, I often think the same thing. There’s such a lack of good female role models these days. They’re mostly people that not only would I not look up to, but actually dislike…. a lot. Kim Kardashian is the epitomy of trash.
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I have three words for you.
Helena.
Bonham.
Carter.
Also Ellen DeGeneres, Portia DeGeneres, Evanna Lynch, J K Rowling, Helen McCrory, Alex Kingston, Cher Lloyd, and Cheryl Cole, among others xD
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I was just going to write Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeGeneres… thought I’d scroll down and see if someone beat me to it! I just love those two, so much in love. Portia has been very honest about her illness so she can help others and Ellen is so incredibly supportive of her. I have a 3 year old daughter and when she falls in love, if she looks at her partner the way they look at each other, well I could care less if its a man or a woman. They are just so lovely together. Compare their marriage to Kim K’s recent 72 day marriage debacle and I don’t see a single reason not to support a marriage between two consenting adults, whatever their sexuality.
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Please watch…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeZWoDJnR5Q
Two women I really admire and at least one that aspire to be like… this segment made me cry. We need more people like Sara Ferguson in the world – her compassion is inspirational.
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How could I forget Ellen Degeneres!? She is a massive inspiration. My FIL showed me a segment from her show where she called a lady from the audience who wrote to her explaining her hardships and how much she wanted to meet her.
She had a little daughter, her husband cheated on her, crappy car, all that stuff. Ellen not only presented her with $10,000 and a brand new car, she then proceeded to pull $5,000 out of the inner console! The woman was in hysterics, and it made my heart swell. Even though Ellen and Oprah do similar giveaways, they are completely diverse women who genuinely want to help others. I also love Ellen’s openness about her sexuality and drive to help the LGBT community.
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Agreed, I love Ellen. She’d be on my ‘dinner party’ list I think….
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If ONLY I could be cool enough to get Ellen to dinner, she is without a doubt one of the most amazin’ ladies in the world!
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YAY Tess! You just made my list of women to admire!
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I admire anyone who is happy with their life. Positive people are inspiring. Whingers and complainers are toxic. Some of the most positive people I know have average lives and dont aspire to have amazing wealth or career success, but they love life and are so great to be around.
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I agree Lu.
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What’s wrong with admiring a business woman like Kim K?
She has a mullti-million dollar empire. It’s PR 101 and she has milked it for all it’s worth. I think that that is admirable.
And why is it wrong to admire one woman more than another? Why is there so much female hate? Kim K is doing her thing, just as Gail Kelly is, Lady Gaga is, Penny Wong is. Isn’t that admirable? To be successful in whatever way you have chosen to be?
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At the end of the day, regrdless of her recent business ventures she is famous for a sex tape…do we really need to worship at the alter of celebrity because of a sex tape?
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So if someone makes a mistake should we dismiss all future achievements because of that mistake?
The way I understood this post was about admiring people for their achievements, business ventures, philanthropy etc, not about worshipping a person. In my view there is a big difference between the two.
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The problem with KK is that she didn’t make a mistake, she released a sex tape in the hope she would climb to notoriety, hello Paris Hilton. That is not something I want my daughter aspiring to.
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There’s nothing wrong with admiring a business woman.
I think what is probably most concerning (like someone mentioned below) is that most young girls would admire her because of her prettiness. The fact that she is an empire in her own right wouldn’t occur to them.
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Saying most girls would admire her for her prettiness is an unfounded assumption based on things like this article that quotes ONE girl saying she likes her because she is pretty. These comments are ugly.
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This is going to sound like a suck up, but I genuinely admire Mia. I always get excited when I see her featured in a magazine, on TV, etc. She is in the field I have always wanted to be in, and I look up to her so much. I can see she has worked her butt off to be where she is, and she is also a fabulous writer.
I admire Sandra Sully. She is a veteran news reader who has worked her way to the top job and stayed there, ultimately becoming the face of Ten News. She is also a lovely woman, so polite.
I also admire my MIL. She works so hard doing night shift, then gets up and goes to her daughter who has 2 kids and helps her with them. She makes dinner before work, does everything around the house. She’s a hard worker!
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Everyone has their own list of women they admire and looking at the bigger picture, a list of 50 just doesn’t cut it. I like Brynne very much. I like her because she is funny, she rolls with the punches and she is genuinely likeable. I also admire Barbara Holborrow, former magistrate and champion of the welfare of children. An amazing lady. That’s only two on my list and I could make up a list of more than 50. So to each his (or her) own.
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But could you listen to Brynne talking for more than 2 minutes?
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I don’t think kicking someone out of their job deserves a place on the most admirable list, no matter if she is the first female prime minister or not. She wasn’t voted in.
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Geeeeeez…. It’s not kicking someone out of a job… It is a kosher way to obtain a position. Like, at anytime within your work place, your CEO could be replaced, if they weren’t being supported.
You didn’t vote for K.Rudd- You voted for your local member who represents you…
People didn’t seem to use the “back-stabbing bitch” line when Paul Keating did it in the 90′s. Bit of gender politics in play there, I’d say…
oh, never mind.
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Exactly! Nor did they call Tony Abbott a backstabbing bitch when he challenged Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership, and won by a single vote!
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Not to mention that she was voted in. Remember the August 2010 election?
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yep – I remember the hung election & the mad scramble to try & get enough independent’s on side to stay in government.
not what I would refer to as being “voted in”.
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“Mad scramble to try and get the independent’s onside” – well, she was the one who did.
Also, the way she has managed to keep a hung parliament going, and quite successfully too, clearly shows that she has impressive negotiation and leadership skills.
Its no mean feat to keep people with different agendas, political ideologies and priorities working together productively. She has done this in the face of incredible pressure, and quite graceful.
So lets give a bit of credit where its due, hey?
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There has been an election since then and while neither of the 2 parties were directly voted in, the ALP was the one that was able to broker a deal.
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Yes, I seem to remember those Independents having personal chats with Gilliard. I’m sure she wasn’t just serving up cake.
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Politics is a perpetual state of leadership challenges – successful or otherwise. All parties do it, any politician would roll the incumbent if they thought they had a chance. Are you suggesting because she is female she should behave any differently, or her ascent to the top is any less “worthy”. Rudd did it, Howard did it (in fact he had many cracks at it), Keating did it, Hawke did it etc etc etc. You have to take the job, not fill in a form and wait to be asked.
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I’ve had a look at the list and it’s actually got a good range of ages, professions, and achievements. Given it includes local and international people and is limited to 50 people, they’ve done a fairly decent job. KK isn’t on it too. Phew.
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Perhaps instead of debating KK vs Bryne we should focus more on women we admire. Gail Kelly gets my vote, now she’s a woman who has smashed the glass ceiling.
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I work for Westpac and got to meet Gail Kelly. She. Is. Amazing.
She’s lOvely, charming, and ridiculously smart. I’d love to be like her.
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I have to say two ladies that I admire that missed the list are Princess Diana and Audrey Hepburn. Although they are no longer gracing this planet their legacy lives on…now that’s admirable.
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Quite a few digs about Kim K but also a few positive comments too which I am happy to see. There has to be a bit of credit given to the Kardashian family – ok you may not like them or their show, clothes line, bags, etc but they have created a bit of an empire out of a reality show (forgetting the sex tape).
How many other people have fallen off into reality show oblivion? They have to be constantly “on” and get ridiculed for every silly remark or unflattering outfit.
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Credit, my arse.
They have chosen to spend their lives in the public eye. I see the Kardashians as a family who actively jump up and down and shout “Look at me! See what I’m wearing! Look at my bum! Validate me!”
They choose to be constantly ‘on’. Their presence in the media adds nothing of value to society as far as I can see.
I weep for society when these people are held up as admirable.
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But their ‘look at me’ attitude has proven to be big business for them. That is what they are successful at. They are on record as saying they have no talent, but they sure as hell aren’t stupid.
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There are so many inspiring women.
Women working to bring about peace or equality such as Nobel Peace Prize joint winners Leymah Gbowee, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakul Karman
Women who have smashed through the glass ceiling in their chosen field – Julia Gillard or Mary Gaudron
Women who have had a long and loving marriage through all the ups and downs, such as my mum and my nana.
These are inspiring women. There are so many.
Being a reality TV star just doesn’t do it for me.
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Kim Kardashian is not someone I admire. I admire different women for different things. I admire Audrey Hepburn, for her successful career, strength and amazing charity work.
I admire Julia Gillard for making national history and becoming the first female prime minister.
I admire my year 11 literature teacher for showing me that our differences is what makes the world interesting and for opening my eyes to the world of poetry.
I admire my grandmother, who I didn’t know for very long, but is one of the strongest women I have had the pleasure of knowing.
And I admire my mother, for following her heart and moving to the other side of the world for love and making a whole new life.
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This is beautiful, love to hear more about who people personally admire. I’m sure your mother and grandmother are delighted to have you and to know you too.
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seriously. what’s the issue here. young girls have been impressed by celebs/stars since talking pictures and prior to that in some form or another. the title is ‘women we admire’. admire can mean ‘look at with pleasure’. some women have a combination of beauty and brains. some don’t. does it mean their less of a person? ok..i can hear many of you hissing yessss. anyway. i think some actresses were very ‘admirable’ in that they were smart enough to play blonde bimbo’s hence becoming famous. they didn’t cure cancer but they worked hard to get what they wanted. respect.
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I like to think Brynne was included because she is not afraid to be herself and has not changed herself despite the constant criticism and ridicule from the media.
KK is ridiculous and yet I can’t help reading about her! Oh I annoy myself at times!!
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I’d love to know why they nominated the people they did – why did they think Brynne was worthy of admiration? Laura has certainly given a few decent reasons below. That said, I’m not sure she necessarily ranks up there with Hilary Clinton etc.
I think we are sadly lacking in role models these days – at least visible ones. The pretty people get a lot of good press, but we hear far more about their breakups, faux pas and bad hair days than we do people who save the world. This is such a shame.
If we are talking close to home (really close to home), I admire MM’s very own LPC (Sandra from 120dollarsfoodchallenge). She has turned an awful situation into a life-altering path to success; she has battled demons and struggled like I have never struggled but in improving her life one day at a time she has made and is making a difference to the lives of so many. She won’t cure cancer but she may help thousands of people feed their families better and improve their quality of life; I think this is truly, truly admirable.
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Thanks picardie, you definitely raise some good points. As a journalist myself, I have to admit that it would have been a given for this author (particularly when there’s 50 for her to list!) to make the list really diverse. And lets face it, none of us would be talking about the story if it was without a little controversy
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So true
And maybe it’s good to have people with lesser achievements and more attainable qualities too – we can’t all save the world but we can all be kind and strong and optimistic.
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Picardie.girl – the reasons are explained here in the article: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/women-we-cant-help-but-admire/story-fn6bfkm6-1226249604180
(please read my comment in a non-snarky tone; I’m genuinely just helping you out/providing the link)
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Thanks, Anon – appreciate the link. No snark read into it
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LPC is one of my heroines for sure!
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I can’t help but think Brynne Edelstein was included just to spark this kind of controversy and get people reading the article to see the full list.
I agree, our PM should have been included.
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I think there’s more to being an inspirational woman than being avant garde enough to make this author’s list or definition of what “inspirational” is.
This is more about a bagging of celebrity culture than a narrative on inspirational women.
If the women this author feels the need to lampoon weren’t “famous”, would her estimation of them improve?
Brynn Edelsten is such a ballsy, confident woman. She is constantly ridiculed in the public sphere for her dress sense, her size, her husband – yet despite how awful that may be, she’s still happily standing up there at event after event being exactly who SHE is, wearing whatever the hell she wants. She isn’t signing a tell-all deal or accepting millions from Weight Watchers to “change”. What better message for young women? Be who you are and don’t compromise.
Angelina Jolie’s battle with drugs and rebellion is well-publicised. She’s now a humanitarian and a philanthropist and has made it her business to change the lives of her adoptive children, as well as persecuted people’s of the world.
Kim Kardashian turned what would have left the rest of us hiding under the covers forevermore into a massive business empire. I think she’s a lot smarter than anyone gives her credit for.
Sure, they get their boobs out in a pretty dress sometimes or say stupid things occcasionally, but don’t we all? Not everyone in the world has an Ivy League education and an ettiqute coach. Overall I think there are definitely lessons of an inspirational nature to glean from these women.
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Brynne is a fierce lady, and I love her!
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Hi Geoffrey hahaha
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Can you imagine if he actually started using the term ‘fierce’?
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I don’t have a problem with Brynne, but I do have a problem with a paper telling us we Should admire someone just because they’re pretty and married well. That’s not an achievement, it’s the luck of the draw.
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I think that’s a shallow view of the situation. Perhaps you should actually read the article: “What we admire about Brynne is the underlying sense of optimism that shines through in her public life and her grace under fire — her dignity in the face of criticism (especially during Dancing with the Stars and her resolve to smile and push on anyway).”
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If Brynne is as smart as we give her credit for, she knew exactly what she was doing going onto DWTS and putting herself onto a public forum of that kind. I don’t admire her for smiling and laughing it off when a judge called a ‘bedazzled sack of potatoes’ or when Sonia made a jab at the age difference between her and her husband. She may not deserve it but she knew it was coming with the territory.
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How did she become one of the women to admire though? By hooking up with Geoffrey Edelsten. Sheer luck. It’s great she’s handled herself OK since marrying him and putting herself out there, but the only way anyone knows about her is because of the dumb luck of how she looks and the fact that she managed to hook Edelsten.
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Yeah but you could say all of those women are on that list due to sheer luck. Layne Beachley? She’s an amazing surfer but if she hadn’t been lucky enough to be adopted by that particular family she may never have tried surfing and may have ended up non-famous like the rest of us.
Michelle Obama: lucky that she met Barack. Yes she would’ve been a great woman in her own right (as she is today) but would we have known about her? Unlikely.
Princess Mary: happened to be at the same pub as Fred.
Samah Hadid: if she’d been born into a life of privelege and sheltered from the hardships of others she may not have been motivated to become a human rights advocate.
Let’s face it, we all get where we are purely by luck. Where we are born, who to, how our uprbringing is and where, what talents our genetics give us and whether or not we discover them ALL comes down to luck. For all I know I could be blessed with the genes that make me a world class tap dancer or forensic biologist but without luck leading me to try those things in the first place I’ll never know.
Maybe Brynne isn’t everyones cup of tea but good on her for not feeling ashamed for just being herself. I’m not a mad fan but I admire her resilience.
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Layne Beachley had to train bloody hard to get where she did, Michelle Obama would have been successful, I don’t know much about Samah Hadid, but I would put Princess Mary and Kate Middleton in the same boat as Brynne in that they lucked out with who they married and that in itself isn’t a reason to admire someone. And neither is being able to handle yourself – it’s not *that* hard to not be a train wreck when you marry into such privilege.
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What a great reply Sami. Well said.
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This wouldn’t let me reply to your replies, but-
Thanks Merinda! You’re lovely
Kris I think you missed my point. Yes Layne did train hard and personally I admire her greatly, but if she’d been adopted by a family that lived in Alice Springs would she have tried surfing in the first place? She may have missed her calling. Hence: luck.
And I acknowledged that Michelle would have been successful (in fact she was, way before marrying Obama). My point regarding her was that she wouldn’t be on this list right now if she hadn’t meet him as she wouldn’t be famous and on our radar. Again, the fame aspect is luck.
As for not being a trainwreck, it all depends on the person. If I was suddenly in the spotlight being criticised for my sartorial choices (not great at the best of times, and weight (over, definitely over) I’d probably be crushed and withdraw from society, sobbing into my hot chips. That Brynne says ‘stuff it!’, embraces her flamboyance and remains (from what I can tell) a lovely person is a testament to her strong personality.
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No, didn’t miss your point, just don’t agree with it. Of course Layne Beachley was lucky to be adopted by her family and try surfing, I just think you’re taking it to a silly extreme. Brynne, Kate and Mary didn’t marry well through hard work. They married well because they happened to be in the right place at the right time and were pretty enough to catch their prince’s eye. I don’t think that’s admirable.
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I think the way she has handled herself is far above okay…and shows that Dr. Edelsten is lucky to have “hooked” her!
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On another note, the “admirable” qualities of some of the other people on the list are also questionable – Gail Kelly from Westpac for example? Her company has just fired hundreds of people despite posting record profits so they can exploit a cheaper foreign workforce. However, she’s a woman in a position of immense power and influence – she’s still admirable regardless of her other choices.
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Laura – kris did miss your point, but many of us *got it*. Your replies were excellent.
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No, I didn’t miss the point, I disagreed with it.
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Hey Laura, I totally agree with you about Brynne – maybe she hasn’t achieved great things or changed the world, but since coming into my consciouness she has killed me with kindness. She is the target for so much hate but she seems to just brush it off and as you say, keeps on being herself. Is it really so awful to suggest Nobel prize winners aren’t the only people in the world worthy of admiration?
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This article is great. I know some people seem to be taking offence that the writer is bagging women but she read an article about inspirational women. No doubt Kim Kardashian and Brynne Edeslten have milked their 5 minutes of fame for a solid 30, but they haven’t achieved anything other than being famous for being famous. There are also many men that fall into that category too (K-Fed anyone) and I certainly doubt he would appear on any inspirational men lists.
To be considered an inspirational, man or woman, isn’t it kind of mandatory that you should have achieved something out of the ordinary, not just marrying some rich old guy?? When I read stories about the courage and achievement of someone like Aung San Suu Kyi I get goose bumps and I want to be a better person, I do not get the same reaction when hearing Brynne or Kim speak. Harsh perhaps and maybe their allure is that they are very “real”, but they are certainly not inspirational, and I wouldn’t want my daughter aspiring to be like either of them, she can do much better
.
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Whilst I wouldnt count Kim K as one of my heroines, I can see that shes obviously able to make something out of nothing – and that IS a talent.
That woman, doesnt act, sing, contribute to the community, or even have much self respect – but for years now shes been an A lister, who can rake in money just for ‘being’.
That all obviously comes at the price of her dignity, but I have to respect that she has created so much from so little. I wish I could do even half of what she has, with the actual talents I possess (while maintaining self respect etc), but its probably not to be
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“shes obviously able to make something out of nothing – and that IS a talent.”
Agree, that’s a definitely talent, but is it an admirable talent?
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I have so say I do think its admirable, only in the sense that shes made the best of what little intelligence/skills she has.
There are unfortunately going to be people in every generation who dont have much in the way of brains or skills, who might be able to learn from Kims clutches at whatever she can get.
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Having the business skills she (or her mother) has, is definitely admirable. If I was that business savvy, I wouldn’t be sitting in an office working for someone else!
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Yes its true her mother is a great business woman and is damn good at PR but I do not admire or find KK inspirational. Its fine for people to like her, watch her shows, buy her bags but to aspire to be like her??? Whippersnapper don’t sell yourself short!
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No, not her personally, but her business skills I mean, they are admirable. For sure, if I had her business acumen, I wouldn’t be creating “brand whippersnapper” haha, it would be something I wanted to work in like books or something haha!
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I have a feeling i stand alone here buy,If your going to compare celebrities I think I would rather my daughters look up to KK than Lady Gaga, I’m sorry but Lady Gaga is not herself at all !
She covers herself up in make-up and costumes and although she claims she doesn’t do drugs anymore just look in her eyes and you know that’s rubbish, she tells her “little monsters” to be themselves but I thinks she couldn’t be further from her true self.
KK might be superficial at times but what celebrity isn’t?
You never see photos of her intoxicated or off her head like majority of young celebrities you see in the public eye today.
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I have to respectfully disagree with your sentiments about Lady Gaga.
Just because she doesnt present herself as natural, or in the way society percieves as ‘normal’, doesnt mean that shes not being herself.
I have friends who are trans, and others who dress in drag, and they are ‘themselves’ when they are indulging that inner desire. I liken that to what Gaga does – she does/wears/says what she desires, whether people like it or not. She doesnt destroy or disrespect her body, but she uses it as a canvas to express herself.
If you remove the over sexualised nature of some of her messages, I think its a good message for future generations to embrace themselves in whatever way they see fit.
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Of course Lady Gaga doesn’t represent her natural self. She’s an entertainer. Have you ever heard of artistic expression. Would you say the same thing about Madonna / Empire of the Sun / Kiss
? Just because they wear costumes on stage or choose to represent themselves differently when in public
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Just as a major aside, is there any possibility of having a ‘scroll to top’ button on the right of screen? I know this isn’t the place to submit such requests…sorry!
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This article says more about the writer than it does about the women she is bagging. Why do you feel the need to put down some women to try and prove how great others are?
How do you know that Bryn is not a wonderful, generous, funny, kind person?
You seem to be doing the very unkind thing of judging a person by their appearance and not what type of person they are inside.
I am getting so very sick of stories on this site pitting on section of society against another.
Fat vs thin
real women with curves vs skinny women
stay at home mums vs working outside the home mums
birth stories
etc etc
If we are not going treat each other with respect and accept that we are all different and all doing our best to find our way in life, what hope have we got for getting the men to respect us and not judge by appearance etc.
Boo to this story and the way it portrays the sisterhood
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I did not get the impression the author was putting women like Brynne down. I think she was pointing out that women who are celebrities for their appearance are perhaps not the people we should be holding up for admiration. I mean, yes, if you want to admire her that’s fine, but why? We are looking at people who we KNOW have done admirable things – charity work, leadership, advocacy. Does ‘looking pretty’ belong on this list?
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Josie, this is completely right. I never put women down, it’s more about the difference between entertainment and influence.
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I agree with you’re saying Jojo: I’m always reluctant to bag other women out in the name of feminism.
But then again, do I really respect what these women do with their lives and the contribution they make to the world? Are they people I admire as women (or as people, gender aside? I don’t admire Kevin Federline any more or less than Brynne Edelsten)?
So I think somehow we have to be able to ask whether these people’s behaviour & contributions make them worthy of the admiration they receive – and what that admiration says about our values.
Perhaps there’s a way to do that without falling into the character assasination/women vs women stuff this article could fall into. Tricky!
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I almost have to laugh that Julia Gillard didn’t make the list, and people think she hasn’t quite “made it” because of her track record as a a PM. The fact remains she was always a high achiever, a female, and a leader in her party- and had she remained merely an MP I think she most likely WOULD have made the list!
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Just to go against the grain a little – I do agree with the fact that Brynn Edelston shouldn’t be ahead of so many other women on a list of women you should admire, but there is actually something that I think she’s done well. She has been slammed by all and sundry, criticised, made fun of and almost bullied by our media, yet she always steps out with a smile on her face and has stayed true to herself besides the criticism. Being yourself no matter what is said to you or about you is something so difficult, but she has managed it.
You mention in the article that Lady Gaga is an individual – but she has created that persona and I refuse to believe that’s who she really is. Look at the video on You Tube of her playing the piano and singing – that is so far away from her current image that, while she is an individual, I think she’s more an example of being something you are not just to get attention. Power to her – it’s worked and she’s super successful – but I think that fact she’s become successful in this way is incredibly sad. She was clearly talented enough without the meat dress and wild outfits.
Also agree with people who have commented below about Angelina Jolie and her humanitarian efforts.
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Re your Gaga comment – I still find it hilarious that she released a song called Born This Way, even before you compare it to Madonna. She’s based on artifice!
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I agree. She is not ‘real’ in any way. I find it really annoying when people are so whacky that you can’t get a feel for who/what they might actually be like.
But just to hypocritical, I’ve always loved Madonna’s music but felt the same about her in interviews for many years. It didn’t stop me liking her music though. I don’t like Lady Gaga’s music though. I saw Madonna on Graham Norton the other other week and she finally seemed like she was being a bit ‘normal’. Whatever that means. I reckon it finally came with age and motherhood. She’s still a bit whacky though.
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“There were a number of really inspirational women on this list, yet for every Aung San Suu Kyi there was an Angelina Jolie… really?” – So what? There’s appears to be a good balance between mainstream celebs and other very influential people. It’s all a personal preference as well. Sure Brynn isn’t the most worldly person on the planet but she has had to overcome so much criticism and judgement and she has always done this with her bubbly personality and giggle. Kudos to her!
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It’s not as if Angelina is spending every spare moment getting manicures. She does quite a lot of humanitarian work too. I’m not a massive Angelina fan but I respect the woman.
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Exactly!
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On a superficial note, the thing I love most about that list is that the beloved Poh adopted the name ‘Sharon’ until she was 25.
I heart Poh very much. She is someone who just makes me smile and want to be excited about life.
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I think it’s unfortunate that when asked to think of individuals who inspire us or are people ‘we should admire’ we immediately look to the media and various personalities/celebrities.
Not enough young people look up to the people they should. Perhaps because they’re not glamarous, rich or famous – who knows?
I admire and am inspired by my parents, particularly my mother, who both worked VERY hard, have led honest and loving lives, have done everything to ensure that I would have all the opportunities that they didn’t necessarily have when they were younger and in the countries they were born in. They have instilled qualities of integrity, honesty, respect and honour in me by providing me with the best example possible.
They aren’t materialistically rich, they don’t appear in the newspaper or magazines every week, but who cares.
I would also like to think that, as a teacher, there are young ladies that I teach that admire and feel inspired by my passion for teaching, see me as a suitable role model, etc.
I know all this might come across as very cliched and soft but I think it’s an unfortunate reality that a lot of young people look up to the wrong people.
Here’s a great article by Sam de Brito with similar sentiments:
http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/blogs/all-men-are-liars/role-models-20111110-1n8k3.html
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I very much agree Anonymous! The women I look up to most are my own mother, and women I’ve met through work (often social workers/psychologists) who I admire both professionally and personally.
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Now I know Mia writes for them, but your mistake was reading a Murdoch tabloid.
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Ouch! Let’s not praise some women by bringing down others, much like how ‘all women are real women’ no matter what their shape, we can’t all be politicians or captains of industry.
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Oh, no I would never intend to be nasty to other women. More to the point I wanted to kick start a discussion about who we are looking to in society to really look up to. The thing is that it’s totally objective, this is just my thoughts when I first read the list it really fired me up!
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I guess I’m also a little fired up, since I’m doing uni work today on femininity and criticisms of it!
(especially loving Clementine Ford’s approach right now http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/betraying-our-girlhood-20120116-1q2qt.html)
) And don’t get me started on unpacking ‘choice’ and ‘empowerment’….
The whole area is such a big minefield, it’s hard enough to sort out my own opinions sometimes, let alone comment coherently on a website about them. I guess it’s a bit of a ‘sore sport’ for me as I seem to be constantly justifying my clothes/actions/choice of music r tv shows because feminists/postgrad university students are apparently not allowed to wear pink or watch Australia’s Next Top Model without spontaneously combusting in rage (I mean, sometimes I do….see! Difficulties again
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Not allowed to wear pink? I would cry.
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While I wouldn’t want my children aspiring to be like Kim Kardashian or Brynne Edelstein, you’ve got to admit, KK is terribly clever (or at least her mother is) for making the entire family famous for absolutely nothing, no qualifications for any sort of career, came from money, handed everything on a silver platter.
I mean, it is fairly smart to have almost a billion dollar empire with no obvious qualifications to do anything or talent.
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I think the thing that blows me away about this list is that it is called ‘women you should admire’. If it was called ‘influential women’ it would make more sense to me, because whether someone has admirable qualities or not, they can still be ‘influential’ if people like to read about them etc. Women you should admire including the likes of Brynne Edelsten though? So very sad!!
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I think maybe at different times in your life you look for different things in the people you admire. In my 50s I admire women like Gillian Armstrong and Lisa Wilkinson who juggle careers, families and life. They are not perfect but they are real. Kim K et al are not real they are all created image.