Honor Blackman - Wonderful Woman No. 145

Honor Blackman - Born 1925
British Actress and Political Activist

Apologies for the length of time between this and the last blog post, it's been a hectic month for so many reasons and finding the time to sit down and write has been impossible... I hope to have more time to do so in the coming year but real life does sometimes get in the way.

Today, we celebrate Honor Blackman, a fine British actress who has played some iconic roles through her lengthy career. I've always been a fan of the James Bond films, although Bond himself has been a rogue and a cad, where women are

concerned, the films often contain strong, intelligent, female characters (as previously noted in the blog post for Grace Jones - Wonderful Woman No. 50) and it is really her Bond Girl appearance as Pussy Galore in the 1954 film Goldfinger that prompted my inclusion of Honor in the Wonderful Women photograph album.

After training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Honor landed her first film-role in Fame is the Spur (1947), though this was a non-scripted role she went on to have a hugely successful career, making over forty films including Jason and the Argonauts, Bridget Jones' Diary and, of course, Goldfinger.

As well as film, Honor has made her name in both television and theatre. Her stage roles have included appearances in popular shows such as The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady. On television, she is best remembered as Cathy Gale in The Avengers, a role she played from 1962 to 1964. She has appeared in some of British television's most loved shows, including Coronation Street and Dr. Who, she also did a six year stint in the comedy series The Upper Hand during the 1990s. Honor is also a decent singer, she has released a number of records, including the 1964 hit Kinky Boots.

Honor has a keen interest in politics and is an activist for republicanism in the United Kingdom, she strongly believes that her country should have an elected Head of State, indeed she declined the Queen's honour of becoming a CBE in 2002.

Her career has spanned seven decades, she has had successes in multiple fields, in her youth, she portrayed strong, brave, feisty women and in her latter years has been the embodiment of grace and elegance, she continues to work, to champion her political ideals and to hold the affection of the British public. A very Wonderful Woman.

Really, in a way, I took over the male role.
Honor Blackman

Elizabeth Fraser - Wonderful Woman No. 144

Elizabeth Fraser - Born 1963
British Singer and Songwriter

Added to the album by Sandy, A Wonderful Woman

Elizabeth is one of Britain's finest singers, and not a week goes by without me sticking one or the other Cocteau Twins album on... I have many memories of lying on my bed as a teenager and Liz could always soothe my troubles. And now, still, when I feel low, she can put a smile on my face. A voice of an angel...
Sandy

So many times since I began writing this blog has it been evident that other women are able to soothe us, to transport us to another place, to make us feel that someone else out there feels what we feel, hurts the way we hurt, loves the way we love, there is a woman out there with lyrics and a voice that prove somebody truly understands. Catharsis is a wonderful thing.

In 1981, aged just 17, Elizabeth Fraser became one of the founding members of the band Cocteau Twins. During the 1980s, the band were among the leading recording artists on the alternative music scene. Elizabeth sang lead vocals in soprano style, often using undecipherable lyrics, her own language, words that had to be felt rather than linguistically understood. The band released nine albums between 1982 and 1996, with a great deal of critical acclaim and praise.

Cocteau Twins disbanded in 1998. Though Elizabeth has never released a solo album she has created numerous solo tracks and contributed to film soundtracks. Moreover, she has worked collaboratively with a plethora of artists, such as Peter Gabriel, The Future Sound of London and Massive Attack. She still contiues to do live performances, for instance, at this year's Meltdown Festival.

Like many of our Wonderful Women, Elizbeth has had her share of the hard times, a nervous breakdown, addiction, lost love... she came through them though and her talent never suffered for the moments of woe.

For many, Elizabeth's voice and the music of Cocteau Twins defines the alternative, post-punk sound and feeling in the 1980s, they have been influential to countless other artists such as Prince, Annie Lennox and My Bloody Valentine (to name only a few). And decades later, the voice is still haunting, enchanting and filled with emotion.

Perhaps the word that most springs to mind when I think of Elizabeth is enigmatic... and wonderful, of course.

I made my declaration.
Elizabeth Fraser

Maude Chardin - Wonderful Woman No. 143

Maude Chardin - Played by Ruth Gordon in the 1971 film Harold and Maude
Fictional American Pensioner

Added to the album by Melanie, A Wonderful Woman

A total inspiration... I LOVE her.
Melanie

I must say, it is a little difficult to write about a character in a film you have never seen. That said, in research for writing this blog post, I've read a lot of reviews of Harold and Maude and have spent the last hour watching clips on YouTube... having done so, I have decided that I must watch the whole film very soon.

The film is centred around the relationship between 79 year old Maude and young Harold, who entertains himself by attending funerals (along with some other rather macabre passtimes). The pair meet at a funeral of a man neither of them have ever met and then become close.

Maude is a wild free-spirited woman, full of youth, despite her advanced years. She is a seize-the-day-type of woman, keen to experience new things, take on adventures and live her life to the extreme. There is no mention of her past in the film, other than a Nazi concentration camp tattoo on her arm... all we see is an aging woman, still intent on having new experiences, meeting new people and living (and dying) at her own pace, in her own way and with absolute vigour and joyful abandon.

To have the strength of mind to accept such freedom of mind is definitely a wonderful thing.

A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they are not dead, really. They're just backing away from life. Reach out. Take a chance. Get hurt even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an L. Give me an I. Give me a V. Give me an E. L-I-V-E. LIVE!
Maude

Polly Jean Harvey - Wonderful Woman No. 142

Polly Jean Harvey - Born 1969
British Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Composer and Actress

Added to the album by Gemma, A Wonderful Woman

I love her cos she's a zeitgeist defying, individual who has the confidence to change her voice, sound, image on her own terms and still sounds (and looks) amazing! She does whatever she wants and I love her for it!
Gemma

I have written many times in this blog about the wonderfulness of being unique, of not yielding to conformity, of remaining true to your own identity. I think Gemma's addition of PJ Harvey is another fine example of a true individual. And, of course, a great talent.

Polly's love of music stemmed from her parents. She began learning to play the saxophone as a teenager and went on to master playing guitar, piano, bass, harmonica and autoharp. Whilst still an adolescent, she played in a number of bands.

From 1988 to 1991, Polly was a member of the band Automatic Dlamini before leaving to form the PJ Harvey Trio (with Rob Ellis and Ian Olliver, also formally of Automatic Dlamini). The band's debut single Dress, released in October 1991, was championed by BBC Radio One's John Peel. The band released two studio albums, which received acceptional critical acclaim and praise from the likes of Kurt Cobain. They disbanded in 1993, shortly before Polly began her career as a solo artist.

She's not, quite honestly, that interested in success. She's not driven in any way by commercial imperatives. Really she's working to satisfy herself.
Paul McGuinness, Manager

Interested in success or not, Polly has released twelve albums and collaborated with some of the world's most respected artists. Her latest album, Let England Shake won this year's Ivor Novello award for best album. She is also twice a Mercury Prize winner and last year received an NME Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.

Her musical style continues to evolve and change, not with fashion but with her own life's passage of time.

Ever the artist, Polly has worked on numerous other projects away from the music charts. In 2009, she made her mark as a composer, creating the music for a theatre production Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. She has also appeared as an actress in a number of films.

PJ Harvey is a true creative artist, an individual and a real musician with a real passion for music. She is into the fourth decade of her career but showing no signs of sitting back on her back-catalogue... she is almost certain to be someone who continues to create, every single day of her life. A raw talent, an individual, a Wonderful Woman.

Making me into a role model is placing too much importance on what I see as a work in progress.
P J Harvey

Marie-Anne Pierette Paulze - Wonderful Woman No. 141

Marie-Anne Pierette Paulze - 1758–1836
French Chemist

Added to the album by Kieran, A Wonderful Man

If it wasn't for her, we probably wouldn't be where we are today as soon as we were.
Kieran

Researching and writing about the women of science who are added to the Wonderful Women album is always a particular joy. Firstly, it is a subject I am fascinated by, but also, so often it is astounding how much these women have endured, overcome and achieved. Marie-Anne Pierette Paulze is another fine example of this.

Married at thirteen years old, Marie-Anne became the laboratory assistant of her husband, celebrated French nobleman and scientist Antoine Lavoisier - "The Father of Modern Science", who named both oxygen (1778) and hydrogen(1783) and predicted silicon, as well as creating the first extensive periodic table of elements. During her time working in her husband's laboratory, her passion for chemistry evolved, she received formal training and, over time, came to work side-by-side on research in the laboratory rather than simply assisting. She was trained also by an artist in order for her to create detailed illustrations of experiments and apparatus, her sketches are said to be some of the greatest in existence and are helpful in dating scientific equipment and techniques. Furthermore, she translated scientific reports from English to French (she was fluent in English and Latin, as well as her native French), a task which proved pivitol for the couple's discoveries and allowed them to disprove many of the theories in print and ultimately to discover oxygen gas.

In 1794, Antoine Lavoisier was beheaded by French revolutionaries. Following his death, Marie-Anne retrieved their laboratory notes (which has been seized during his arrest) and published the final documentation of his work Mémoires de Chimi, a memoir which demonstrated new principles in chemistry. Without her husband, Marie-Anne ran her own scientific laboratory and continued to dedicate her life to science.

All those years ago, Marie-Anne's contribution was little acknowledged, she was known only as the wife of the great scientist. Now though, it is clear that she was an equal in contributing to some of chemistry's most important discoveries, it doesn't get more wonderful than that.

Minds have no sex and that if the minds of women were cultivated like those of men, and that if as much time and energy were used to instruct the minds of the former, they would equal those of the latter. The life of Marie-Anne Lavoisier proves this statement to be true.
Marie Meurdrac, Chemist

Shelagh Delaney - Wonderful Woman No. 140

Shelagh Delaney - 1938-2011
British Playwright and Screen Writer

Added to the album by Esme, A Wonderful Woman

She wrote 'A Taste Of Honey' when she was only 18... amazing play, amazing woman.
Esme

When I was still in high school, I was among a group of avid theatre-goers who, on at least a monthly basis would, go with our drama teachers to various theatres in and around Manchester. One of these trips was to see A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney at The Octagon Theatre in Bolton. Though that evening is something in the region of twenty years ago, I still remember the performance vividly. It was unlike a lot of the productions we went to see, for a start it was set in Salford, very close to where we went to school and the characters were so realistic to us, well, because they were just like the people all around us. I don't remember if I identified that the female roles were so strong at the time but I do remember thinking one day, when I became an actress I'd love to play Jo (sadly, this was one ambition that I never did fulfil).

Shelagh came from humble beginings, born and raised in Salford in the north of England. She wrote her most famous work, A Taste of Honey, while just 18, it opened in London at the Theatre Royal East in 1958 and was an instant success.

A Taste of Honey showed working-class women from a working-class woman's point of view, had a gay man as a central and sympathetic figure, and a black character who was neither idealised nor a racial stereotype.
Dennis Barker, The Guardian

The play was turned into a film in 1961. The film was also a great success winning four Bafta awards, including best British screenplay and best British film.

Shelagh wrote a number of other plays after A Taste of Honey, though none matched it's success. In 1963, she published a book of short stories, Sweetly Sings the Donkey. Over time, she began to write more for radio and television than for theatre. She was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1985.

Her style of writing continued, throughout her career, to be filled with harsh realism, social protest and strong female characters. She has been, and remains to be, an enormous influence on other creatives, her champions include Morrissey of The Smiths who says many of his lyrics would not exist were it not for Shelagh. Jeanette Winterson - Wonderful Woman 98, also remarks on her influence, saying Shelagh was "the first working-class woman playwright".

It may not seem so unusual now, a female writer having huge success at an early age but at the time A Taste of Honey was released, this could only be described as groundbreaking. In some way, Shelagh's success knocked down some of the boundaries faced by women of the lower-classes of the time, opened up the idea that theatre, literature and even, more generally speaking, education were things that could be accessible to all - for these reasons she well-deserves her Wonderful Woman title.

Women never have young minds. They were born three thousand years old.
Shelagh Delaney

Isabella Beeton - Wonderful Woman No. 139

Isabella Beeton - 1836–1865
British Culinary Writer

Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman

Many women from the world of food have now been included as Wonderful Women, from Elizabeth David - Wonderful Woman No. 60 to Angela Hartnett - Wonderful Woman No. 65, all very different but all having inspired something in those who have nominated them. It is fair to say that Sarah's addition of Mrs Isabella Beeton is one of the original people to ignite this type of inspiration in home cooks.

Isabella wrote a great many articles and recipes for newspapers and magazines, she wrote a monthly supplement in The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine during the 1850s and 1860s.

In 1861, the first publication of The Book of Household Management was released with instant success. The book featured over 900 recipes many with illustrations and it was really the popularity of these recipes that brought Isabella such fame and notoriety. The book was also something of a guide for a Victorian 'lady-of-the-house,' it contained advice on rearing children, social etiquette, employing servents and also spoke of science, religion and industrialialism. Long before such ideas were popular, Isabella wrote about the importance of using seasonal

and local produce, the welfare of animals and an understanding of what goes into the food people eat.

A place for everything and everything in it's place.
Mrs Beeton - The Book of Household Management

In 1858, Britain suffered a particularly harsh winter and during this time Isabella turned her culinary skill to help those most in need, by opening a soup kitchen for poverty stricken children in her own home.

Isabella, who died when just 28 years old, became the first woman to have her portrait bought and hung in The National Gallery , in 1938. She is still remembered by many as a real pioneer in the art of food.

As I said in the opening paragraph, we have celebrated a number of women for their excellent careers in catering, I think though, Isabella was an original, an innovator and it is this which makes her most welcome in this album.

The true woman combines with mere tact that subtle sympathy which makes her the loved companion and friend alike of husband, children and all around her.
Isabella Beeton

Susan Sarandon - Wonderful Woman No. 138

Susan Sarandon - Born 1946
American Actress, Film Producer, Business Woman & Political Activist

Added to the album by Lowri, A Wonderful Woman

Reading up on Susan Sarandon has been an enlightening experience. I knew she was a fabulous actress, having seen many of her films, but learning about her other endeavours, I have learnt that she is a much more formidable woman than I ever knew. Thank you Lowri for your fantastic nomination.

In 1970, Susan made her film debut in Joe. She appeared on American television throughout the '70s and had roles in a number of films. In 1975, she starred in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which became a cult musical and one I am a huge fan of myself) and this really catapulted her into fame. She has appeared in over seventy films, including some huge box-office successes such as The Witches of Eastwick, Thelma and Louise, Little Women (an adaptation of the book by Louisa May Alcott - Wonderful Woman No. 38) and Dead Man Walking, which gained her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1995. Now in the fifth decade of her acting career, she is still working hard and landing great roles, she currently has two films in post-production, including the much awaited Cloud Atlas. She has also produced some films.

Susan is the co-owner of the SPiN table tennis club, which has social clubs in four cities in the USA and Canada.

One of the most interesting things I have discovered about Susan is her political activism. She is an outspoken liberal, who has campaigned and spoke publicly about gay rights issues, the Iraq war, various human rights causes and the catholic church (in particular about the current Pope and the church having "harboured paedophiles"). She has supported a number of politicians over the years. She has also worked hard for charitable causes, she was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a spokesperson for Heifer International (a not-for-profit organisation with the vision of ending global poverty and hunger) and in 2006, Susan received the Action Against Hunger Humanitarian Award.

Like so many of the women featured in this album, Susan's life is littered with great achievement and success but she is also wonderful for her qualities as a humanitarian, as someone who speaks out for causes which she feels strongly about and takes action when she sees something is unjust. Exactly the kind of woman we like to celebrated here.

I try to live my life every day in the present, and try not to turn a blind eye to injustice and need.
Susan Sarandon

Shirley Valentine - Wonderful Woman No. 137

Shirley Valentine - Played by Pauline Collins in the 1988 film Shirley Valentine
Fictional British Housewife

This is a very personal and emotive addition to the album for me, even just thinking about this film brings the prinkly sensation of nostalgic tears welling in my eyes. I hope no-one will mind if this particular blog is partly Shirley Valentine's story but partly mine too.

In 2004, I went to work on the Greek island, Rhodes, for a travel company. I thought I would stay for the summer, have a great time and then move on. It didn't really work out like that.

I was posted in a resort called Afandou... which wasn't really a holiday resort at all, it was a working Greek village, with dusty streets, a pebbled beach, was filled with the smells of flowers and kleftiko carried on the warm evening breeze but in the summer it became alive with British tourists and people, like me, there to work in the sunshine. From day one, I was welcomed with open arms, the Greeks still remain the friendliest people I have ever known and I also met and befriended other people who had moved to spend their lives abroad. It wasn't just the people but the village itself that seemed to hold me in a warm, maternal embrace. In all my life, I have never been more at home anywhere or felt more happy than I did in Afandou.

I spent three years coming and going from Afandou, doing seasonal jobs, finding new places to live and so on. I wanted to make it my permenent home but try as I did, I could never find work for the winter and what I earned during the 8 months of summer was never enough to support me the rest of the time. After three years, I decided I couldn't live in constant transit anymore, it was time to grow up and accept things as they were. I have been back there for holidays many times and leaving always breaks my heart. Though I now live in picturesque Sicily, I still hold out hope that one day I will find a way to return to Afandou and live, like in films, happily ever after.

Which is exactly what Shirley Valentine did. She stayed and that is why she is so wonderful to me, she made the dream happen, she made it work, did the thing I most wanted but wasn't able to do.

On the screen she transformed from a drab, down-trodden Liverpudlian housewife to an independent woman, able to enjoy life with true abandon, a woman who embraced the beauty and culture and history of, what is to me, the most wonderful country on Earth. In the end, she is completely unrecognisable from the shadow of a woman she was before. She is a heroine to me.

Στην καρδιά μου είμαι Έλληνας!!!

Madhur Jaffrey - Wonderful Woman No. 136

Madhur Jaffrey - Born 1933
Indian Actress, Cook, Food Writer and Author

Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman

Having now done some research into the life of Mafhur Jaffrey, I feel rather ignorant. I once saw her do the 'omelette challege' on the BBC's cookery show Saturday Kitchen but I am ashamed to say that, until now, this had been my only exposure to this Wonderful Woman. I did not know that she was a celebrated actress, I did not even really know about her excellence as a cookery writer. I am grateful to Sarah for changing this and nominating her to the album.

After graduating with honours from Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1957, Madhur embarked on a career in film and theatre. From the 1960s to now she has appeared in over 20 films, made in both India and the U.S.A. among them are Six Degrees of Separation, The Perfect Murder and Shakespeare Wallah, for which she was awarded the prize for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival.

In 1973, Madhur produced her first cook book, An Invitation to Indian Cooking

and she has subsequently produced almost 30 books, which focus on Indian, Asian and vegetarian cuisine. She has hosted numerous cookery shows on television and is now widely considered as the world authority on Indian food.

In addition to her cook books, Madhur has published four other books, which are largely about travel in India. Her latest, published in 2006, is a personal memoir about her childhood in India.

I expect there is much more to this Wonderful Woman than my research has uncovered and than I have poured into these few short blog paragraghs... what is clear though is that Madhur Jaffrey has been brilliantly successful in not one but two careers, she has perfected her craft as both an actress and a culinary writer and she is admired by countless budding cooks across the world. She is clearly a very Wonderful Woman.

A book that changed me ... Robin Hood. When I was a little girl, I would become him in my mind. It gave me the belief – nothing to do with being male or female – that I could do anything. It made me feel invulnerable. There was a pure joy at being anything I wanted to be.
Madhur Jaffrey

Raquel Welch - Wonderful Woman No. 135

Raquel Welch - Born 1940
American Actress, Television Personality and Business Woman

Added to the album by Tay, A Wonderful Man

Well I’d like to spin a yarn about how much I admired her perfect timing or on screen poise..but that would be total bollocks... Growing up in the 70s... there was only one woman we all talked about at school. She was such an icon to us... Probably not for the right reasons I suggested her... but to me and countless other men of a certain age… Sex on legs!! ICON!
Tay

A few of the other women in the album have been nominated for similar reasons. In my mind, being beautiful alone isn't qualification enough to this celebration of Wonderful Women, however, as in the cases of the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis - Wonderful Woman No. 111 and Twiggy - Wonderful Woman No. 120, Raquel Welch is much more than just a pretty face and a toned body, her life achievements make her worthy of the title Wonderful Woman.

Raquel's career started as a Weather Forecaster on local television in San Diego, U.S.A. She went on to move to Hollywood, where she had a number of bit-parts in film and on TV before appearing in her most memorable role in 1966, when she starred in One Million Years B.C., launching her iconic image as a cave woman in a fur bikini. In total, Raquel has appeared in almost forty motion pictures, including the 1974 version of The Three Musketeers, for which she was awarded a Golden Globe.

As well as her wonderful career as an Actress, Raquel has founded her own businesses, including a signature line of wigs, a jewellery collection and a skincare range.

As with a number of other women celebrated in this album, though now in her seventies, Raquel is still looking great, her beauty and feminine allure unchanged by the passage of time.

She was, and still is, an iconic beauty but more than that, a great Actress, a successful career woman and most definitely a Wonderful Woman.

There aren't any hard women, only soft men.
Raquel Welch

Ellen MacArthur - Wonderful Woman No. 134

Ellen MacArthur - Born 1976
British Yachtswoman

Added to the album by Gavin, A Wonderful Man

For feats of extreme endurance, and as a test of character against overwhelming odds, solo sailing the Atlantic and then again around the World take some beating. Ellen managed to do both, through thick and thin, and in record times, as we witnessed in her much-parodied but complulsive video diaries. Massive effort and courage, and a great inspiration.
Gavin

When Gavin suggested Ellen MacArthur to the Wonderful Women album, it was one of those times when I thought "Yes. Why didn't I think of her?" - she really embodies the spirit of this celebration of women; daring, individual, groundbreaking, strong.

Ellen's passion for sailing started at an early age, indeed she saved her pocket money for years in order to buy her first vessel. She began competing whilst still a schoolgirl.

Ellen has broken a good number of world records in sailing, and still holds some of these records today. Among her many achievements are; sailing from Plymouth, UK to Newport, Rhode Island, USA in 14 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes in 2000, she set a new world record for a transatlantic crossing by women (7 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes) in 2004 and she fulfilled the incredible task of breaking the world record for a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe (71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes 33 seconds ) in 2005.

Ellen has now retired from her sailing career, she has since founded the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, which helps children and young adults aged between 8-24 to regain their confidence, after suffering with cancer, through sailing. The charity not only teaches sailing skills but also organises sailing trips for those recovering from illness.

Once again, a Wonderful Woman who has not only been amazingly successful in one career but has also chosen to use her success and notoriety for the good of others. Her strength, courage and vigour really are exceptional and she is a perfect addition to this album.

In weak moments I always turn round and get strong.
Ellen MacArthur

Madonna - Wonderful Woman No. 133

Madonna - Born 1958
American Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Film Director, Author, Dancer & Business Woman

Added to the album by Becky, A Wonderful Stranger

Back in February, I was in the ladies loos at TV21 in Manchester's Northern Quarter, as I applied my lip-gloss in the mirror, a friend appeared from one of the cubicles. The friend, Libbie, commented on how much she liked the Wonderful Women album, which I had recently started on Facebook and how she enjoyed seeing the new women added in her newsfeed. Another girl in the bar's toilets (who I later identified as Becky) joined in with the conversation and suggested that I add Madonna. She said Madonna had been a huge inspiration over the years, that she had felt empowered by her and that she had been an influence as she had grown up, a role model of a strong, independent woman. It was an impassioned nomination, I added Madonna to the album the following day.

As it happens, I had been a teenage Madonna fan myself. I enjoyed her catchy pop songs but mostly, I liked her changing image and her fiestiness, her uniqueness and her boldness.

Madonna started her working life as a dancer, before forming a band and becoming a singer. Her first solo single, Everybody, was released in 1982 and she went on to release a dizzying number of singles with huge chart success, among those singles are a mass of unforgetable classics, such as Like A Virgin, Holiday and Vogue. She has release fifteen albums, with further compilations and live albums too. She has sold over 300 million records worldwide

and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's best-selling female recording artist in history. She is celebrated as one of the best stage performers in music, her live shows really groundbreaking and thoroughly entertaining. Summerising Madonna's recording career in just a paragraph is incredibly difficult, the list of awards is overwhelming, the list of songs I'd like to mention is ridiculously long and, in all honesty, whatever I write, I am destined to leave something of major importance out - so, let me just say, her success as a singer and songwriter is pheonmenal and this alone would qualify Madonna as a very worthy Wonderful Woman.

But it doesn't just end there, the list of other avenues Madonna's career has taken is massive and she has thrust herself into all that she has

done with astonishing gusto.

In 1979, Madonna appeared in her first film A Certain Sacrifice, playing the leading role. She has starred in 19 films and a number of television shows, there are some great movies among them, including Desperately Seeking Susan, A League of Their Own and Evita - for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Actress. She has also directed two films Filth and Wisdom and the Wallis Simpson biopic W.E.

Madonna has published many books, I remember well the controversy surrounding the release of her debut coffee table book Sex in 1992 - I was a teenage school girl at the time, there was no way my mother would have allowed me access to such a book, so I was thrilled when a girl called Sarah smuggled her copy into school. There are several other releases which focus on different moments in Madonna's varied career. In 2003, the first of Madonna's children's books, The English Roses, was published and since she has written and published a number of other books for children.

She's an astute business woman too. Among her ventures have been a fashion label and fitness centres but most notably, her own record label, Maverick, which has signed the likes of Alanis Morissette, Muse and The Prodigy.

Madonna herself is, of course, a huge brand. She's recreated her image countless times but always there is the clear determination, strength of character and complete self-belief. I am glad I was a teenager at the time of Madonna's music career height, I'm sure it inspired many other girls like Becky and I, made us see how successful and powerful a woman alone could be, sexually liberated, career driven, vibrant, determined - a wonderful role-model to have.

I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams.
Madonna

Joanna Lumley - Wonderful Woman No. 132

Joanna Lumley - Born 1946
British Actress, Model, Television Presenter, Writer and Political Activist

Added to the album by Howie, A Wonderful Man

Like so many of the women in this album, labelling Joanna Lumley as one thing or another is impossible. Her career has been rich and varied, and she has actively campaigned and supported causes in which she believes. I have read several newspaper ariticles about her over the last few day, in preparation for writing this blog post, a phrase that is repeated over and over again is national treasure, for once, I feel this reference is spot on.

Joanna's started her career as a photographic model in the 1960s. At the end of the '60s, she moved on to work in acting, her first role in the film Some Girls Do. She has since appeared in numerous films, including On Her Majesty's Secret Service where she joined the prestigious list of actresses who have played Bond Girls. Predominantly, Joanna's most famous roles have been on television, among her many roles she briefly appeared in Britain's most loved soap Coronation Street, played Purdey in The New Avengers - for which she won a BAFTA award and in 1992, she burst onto television screens as the unforgettable Patsy in Jennifer Saunders' (Wonderful Woman No. 92) Absolutely Fabulous, a role she played for more than a decade and for which she recieved a further two BAFTA awards. She is also credited with numerous theatre roles throughout her lengthy career.

As well as appearing on television as an actress, Joanna has made numerous documentaries from around the globe. She has also written several books, including a number of personal memoirs.

Joanna supports and champions a number of charities and campaigns, she is patron of a number of charities and speaks out about the causes she holds dear. Most famously, Joanna was the face of the campaign to give

Ghurka veterans the right to settle in Great Britain. This particular fight was very personal to Joanna, her grandfather, Colonel Leslie Weir, was a political officer of the British Raj in India, who travelled extensively in Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet, was friends with the 13th Dalai Lama and her father, Major James Lumley, was an officer in the Gurkha Rifles, indeed Joanna was born in India due to her father's position and was brought up in Hong Kong and Malaysia because of the Gurkha regiment. After a very public battle with the UK government, during which Joanna spoke passionately and fought tirelessly, the mandate was announced for all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 to be allowed to settle in Britain. Joanna describes this as her most humbling experience and the proudest moment of her life.

Joanna is a particular Wonderful Woman, one we can celebrate like many of the others, for her fantastic career which is still going though now in it's sixth decade, for her zest for life and individuality but also one who has took her fame and notoriety and used it for the good of others, who has stood firm on causes she is really passionate about... and that, is truly wonderful

If you're an enthusiast and you love the world like I do, it comes naturally. But I think charity must become more fun to give, more interactive and imaginative.
Joanna Lumley

Ina May Gaskin - Wonderful Woman No. 131

Ina May Gaskin - Born 1940
American Midwife, Author, Educator and Activist

Added to the album by Vicky, A Wonderful Woman

Before Vicky nominated Ina May Gaskin as an addition to the Wonderful Women album, I was not aware of her at all. Reading about her has been a great experience, once again I feel inspired and impressed by just how wonderful one woman can be.

In 1971, Ina May founded The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee, U.S.A. The Farm is dedicated to delivering babies without medical intervention, unless absolutely necessary. The Farm has handled approximately 3000 births and Ina May is said to have personally attended more than 1200 births. It has been Ina May's life work to promote low-intervention but extremely effective methods of dealing with shoulder dystocia. The Gaskin Maneuver is the first obstetrical procedure to be named after a midwife and is now widely used by medical practitioners.

Ina May is a strong advocate of home births, she believes that low-risk births should be delivered at home with a midwife overseeing, rather than in hospital with medical assistance.

The overriding theory in all Ina May's work, is that preganancy and childbirth are a natural and spiritual experience between mother and child, and for this experience medical assistance is not usually necessary.

Ina May has published five books about childbirth, which centre on a number of topics including natural birth, the spirituality of childbirth, pregnancy and breast-feeding. She has also written numerous articles, created film documentaries and given countless lectures on these subjects.

Her arguments are compelling, her results undisputable and her dedication to midwifery undeniable. A true Wonderful Woman.

Remember this, for it is as true as true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.
Ina May Gaskin

Shirley McLaine - Wonderful Woman No. 130

Shirley MacLaine - Born 1934
American Actress, Singer & Author

Added to the album by Benjamin, A Wonderful Man

If you have Audrey Hepburn [Wonderful Woman No. 30] it wouldn't be fair to leave out Shirley MacLaine.
Benjamin

A great nomination for yet another Wonderful Woman who is so inprinted through modern culture, it seems like the world hardly existed before her.

In 1955, a young Shirley Maclaine made her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's The Trouble with Harry, so accomplished was the debutante, that she won the Golden Globe award for best newcomer. Shirley went on to star in more than sixty pictures, many of them still some of the most enjoyed pieces of cinema in history, to name but a few; Ocean's 11 (original version), The Apartment, Sweet Charity and Terms of Endearment. Her latest film, Bernie, was made just last year, marking 56 years at the top of the entertainment industry.

Like many actresses featured in the album, the list of prizes scooped by Shirley is infinately long. Among them are six Golden Globes, an Academy Award for Terms of Endearment and an Emmy.

Shirley has also written fourteen books, all of which are autobiographical and centre around her spiritual beliefs, as well as her experiences as one of the world's best known actresses.

Once again, I feel I must remark on how wonderful it is that Shirley has had such a lengthy and celebrated career.

I want women to be liberated and still be able to have a nice ass and shake it.
Shirley MacLaine

Dolly Parton - Wonderful Woman No. 129

Dolly Parton - Born 1946
American Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Actress and Business Woman

Added to the album by Vicky, A Wonderful Woman

Really, who could fail to love Dolly Parton?
Hadley Freeman, The Guardian

As in the last blog post, Judi Dench - Wonderful Woman No. 128, today we celebrate another Wonderful Woman who has had a wonderfully long and interesting career. For someone of my generation, it is hard to imagine the world before Dolly Parton.

Dolly grew up in Tennessee, USA, she was from a poor family, raised in a one-room cabin. Dolly was determined to make something of her life and to make money. She performed from early childhood and made her television debut at the age of nine. She recorded her first single Puppy Love at the age of thirteen. She has since recorded more than forty studio albums, with releases in every decade from the 60s to now. The country star is responsible for penning some of the world's most recognisable tracks such as I Will Always Love You, Jolene and My Tennessee Mountain Home. She has received countless awards and accolades, and is one of the few artists who has managed to transcend the label of being a country artist, not just in the USA but globally too.

Dolly has also forged a career in film and television. On television she has made countless appearances and hosted her own shows, she was also characterised as one of Jim Henson's Muppets by the name of Polly Darton. She has starred in thirteen films, including Steel Magnolias, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe, and the brilliant 9-5, which also gained her a Golden Globe nomination and for which she also wrote the fantastic theme tune.

Dolly has invested much of her earnings into businesses in the American state where she grew up, most notably she is the co-owner of The Dollywood Company. Dollywood is the 24th-most-popular theme park in America. It is a family friendly tourist attraction but also hosts a number of events, including an annual 'Gay Day,' gay rights being one of the many causes Dolly supports. As well as numerous business ventures, Dolly is also the founder of the charity the Dollywood Foundation, the foundation includes a literacy programme which sends a book to every child enrolled once a month, the program distributes more than 2.5 million free books to children annually, education being another of the causes Dolly champions, there are many more.

Dolly Parton is not just a cheery personality with catchy songs, she is real, strong, emotional, Wonderful Woman. A woman who has done so much for others as well as striving to create a better life for herself. She's best known for her blonde hair and her sassy quips but she's really a savvy business woman, a great songwriter, an awesome performer and a true philanthropist.

I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know that I'm not blonde.
Dolly Parton

Judi Dench - Wonderful Woman No. 128

Judi Dench - Born 1934
British Actress

Added to the album by Howie, A Wonderful Man

She's the grande dame of British theatre.
Simon Hattenstone, The Guardian

Another fabulous addition to our album, a wonderful actress with a long and varied career.

Similarly to many actresses I have written about in this blog, including my Great Aunt, Barbara Jackson - Wonderful Woman No. 17, Judi Dench was involved in theatre from an early age and always showed signs of what her future career would be. In 1957, she made her professional debut and has been on stage ever since. Her roles have been numerous and varied, they include Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Sally Bowles (Wonderful Woman No. 7) in the musical Cabaret and Desiree in a Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music (for which she won an Olivier Award). She has worked with some of the UK's leading theatre companies, including the National Theatre Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Judi not only is a star of the stage but has also appeared in a plethora of television programmes and films. Many will remember her in the BBC sit-com, Butterflies, which ran for twelve years, on television she has also appeared in immensely popular shows such as Middlemarch and Cranford. Her film career, particularly in recent years, has been pheonomenal with roles including M in a number of James Bond films, Queen Victoria in Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown and Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.

The list of awards Judi has received is seemingly endless, to name just a few, she has no less than eleven BAFTAs (including the Bafta Fellowship), seven Laurence Olivier Awards (including the Society's Special Award), two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. She is also a Dame of the British Empire.

Judi Dench is dead sexy. Fact.
Owain, A Wonderful Man

As with a number of other Wonderful Women, such as Helen Mirren - Wonderful Woman No. 79 and Eileen Atkins - Wonderfuln Woman No. 83, Judi's allure is immune to time. Still beautiful and attracive in her 70s.

We celebrate Wonderful Women in this album for many reasons, longevity in career is a recurring theme, as is maintaining one's identity through the years and being successful - Judi shows us that all these things are possible as a woman.

So many men lose their confidence and become enfeebled as they get older, while so many women of a certain age ... so many women do seem to get stronger and more outspoken the older they become.
Judi Dench

Chrissie Hynde - Wonderful Woman No. 127

Chrissie Hynde - Born 1951
American Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Writer & Animal Rights Activist

Added to the album by Vicky, A Wonderful Woman

A snake-hipped, Fender-toting rock chick singing messages of love over stylish hooks. Her voice – velveteen, effortlessly sexy.
Jane Cornwell, The Telegraph

During her teen years in Ohio, USA, Chrissie Hynde developed a love of rock music. She was particularly fond of the British music magazine NME and in 1973, Chrissie moved to London, where she became a writer for the magazine. She also spent sometime working in Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood - Wonderful Woman No. 34's shop.

In the 1970s, Chrissie formed and joined a number of bands both in the USA and in the UK, performing as both a singer and a guitarist. Eventually, in 1978, The Pretenders were formed, fronted by Chrissie. Their debut self-titled album was released the following year and received critical and chart success both in the UK and in America. With various member changes in the band over the years, Chrissie has been the only constant member. The band have realsed nine studio albums, the most recent in 2009. They have also enjoyed singles chart success, with instantly recognisable hits such as Don't Get Me Wrong and I'll Stand by You.

Chrissie has had a string of other musical projects beside The Pretenders; dueting with Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr, Cher and Neneh Cherry and performing as a singer and as a guitarist on numerous other artists projects, to name but a few of her side projects. She is also an inductee of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Away from music, Chrissie is a strong supporter of animal rights, is a vegetarian and previously owned a vegan restaurant in Ohio, voted among the top five vegan restaurants in the USA.

Another Wonderful Woman with a lengthy and varied career, five decades in the music industry and an inspiration to many younger artists. A real musicain's musician, dedicated to her art and always looking forward, putting the music first.

Please don't talk to me about women, I'm not a figurehead for anything. I was a single mom with two kids. What else was I going to do? It was either be in a band or be a waitress.
Chrissie Hynde

Candi Staton - Wonderful Woman No. 126

Candi Staton - Born 1940
American Singer

Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman

Her extraordinary voice, a soulful mix of euphoria and pain.
Dave Simpson, The Guardian

Never one to shy away from putting a little of my personal experience into the blog, regular readers will be well aware of my love of soul music and my particular love of all things disco, examples from Sharon Redd - Wonderful Woman No. 76 to Donna Summer - Wonderful Woman No. 113 (who was also one of Sarah's suggested album additions). Another booming voice of a true disco diva for today's blog entry, the fabulous and unmistakable Candi Staton.

From an early age, Candi's talent as a singer was clear to all, she began singing in her church gospel choir before joining a group of professional gospel singers. In 1968, Candi signed to Rick Hall's Fame Studios and began her solo career with a string of R & B hits, probably her most famous record Young Hearts, Run Free, released in 1976, had massive chart success both in her native USA and in the UK. Candi has released almost thirty solo albums, the most recent in 2009, marking her fifth decade in the music industry.

Like many people of my generation, the first time I came across Candi Staton was when she featured on You Got the Love with The Source, which was a Hacienda classic... this track made me aware of Candi Staton, a whole host of disco divas, and the concept of disco. It is only as I've got older that I've become aware about how disco fed into house.
Sarah

The release of The Source's 1991 club-hit You Got The Love, a track entirely representative of the rave-era, brought with it a fresh wave of success for Candi and a new generation of fans to enjoy her almighty voice.

Like many of the other Wonderful Women we have celebrated in this blog, such as Betty Ford - Wonderful Woman No. 24 and Amy Winehouse - Wonderful Woman No. 109, Candi has struggled with addiction. There were years lost to alcohol, an addiction she managed to overcome. As I have said many times, being a Wonderful Woman does not make one without fault or temptation, the fact that so much can be achieved despite these human blemishes is wonderful in itself.

A Wonderful Woman with a rich, emotive voice that for generations has had the power to touch and inspire... not to mention, with the ability to make any sell-respecting disco dolly throw her hands up in the air on a dancefloor, even though she may never have been born when the record was made.

Those songs were blessed. They raised your children, they bought you home.
Candi Staton

India Knight - Wonderful Woman No. 125

India Knight - Born 1965
British Journalist and Author

Added to the album by Sarah, A Wonderful Woman

I love India Knight. Reading her articles and book you feel more like listening to the words of a big sister or trusted friend than a faceless journalist or author.
Sarah

Of late, journalists in Britain have had something of a bad press, so it's refreshing and encouraging to see one nominated to the blog and given such praise from Sarah, my wonderful friend.

After studying Modern Languages at Cambridge, India Knight began a career in journalism. She writes a column for The Times, along with numerous other articles for newspapers and magazines. Her writing style is witty and full of charisma, often focusing on day-to-day topics that affect the average woman (or man) on the street, such as money management, dieting and marriage break-up, including documenting her own in The Observer magazine.

In addition to her work in journalism, India has written nine books to date, including works of both fiction and non-fiction and the children's book The Baby.

She is not afraid to call a spade a spade, which I find really refreshing. I think I would be lost without her!
Sarah

Throughout the blog I have commented on how wonderful it is to have suggestions from different people of women who should be featured in this album and hearing why these women have touched the lives of others is interesting, thought-provoking and inspiring. India is no acception and is thoroughly deserving of her place as one of our Wonderful Women.

It's not unfeminist to go on a diet.
India Knight

Lulu - Wonderful Woman No. 124

Lulu - Born 1948
British Singer, Songwriter, Actress and Television Personality

Added to the album by Tay, A Wonderful Man

With the obvious acception of my Great Aunt, Barbara Jackson - Wonderful Woman No. 17, there are few women in the album I can lay claim to having met in person. Lulu though, I did once have the pleasure of meeting, she came backstage to a show I was in years ago and was seemingly humble, lovely and was terribly complimentary about my performance. For that brief meeting alone, she will always be wonderful to me.

She's Lulu and I love her. There, I said it...
I could prattle on all night but suffice to say Lulu deserves a place in 'Wonderful Women'.
Annonymous, A Wonderful Lulu Fan

I've been lucky enough to receive some unique insights from the genuine Lulu fan quoted above (who asked to remain nameless). Often when women have been nominated to the album, little explanation is given and so it has been a great pleasure to have direct access to someone who can really explain and emphasis exactly how this Woman is Wondeful. One of the things I love the most about having created this celebration of women, is people contributing suggestions of women who have meant something to them, who have inspired them, represented them or touched them for another reason.

Remarkably, Lulu's singing career began when she was in her pre-teens. She was signed to her first record label while still only fifteen and throughout the sixties had a string of chart hits, including possibly her most famous record Shout! In a singing career that has spanned six decades, Lulu has recorded over twenty studio albums and has had singles chart success in every decade since she started, including a UK Number 1 with Take That in 1993, where she competently covered Loleatta Holloway - Wonderful Woman No. 93's vocal on Dan Hartman's disco classic Relight My Fire.

In 1969, Lulu represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Boom Bang-a-Bang. She was tied in first place, a victory for the UK and an excellent win for Lulu, especially as she claimed never to have liked the song.

It seemed like Lulu owned Saturday nights. She must have made countless appearances on Summertime Special and the like.
Anon

As well as an outstanding recording career, Lulu appeared on and presented a number of television shows, including her own shows Lulu's Back In Town, Happening For Lulu, Lulu and It's Lulu. She has also proved herself to be a fine Actress, appearing in seven feature films, including the outstanding To Sir, With Love (featuring brilliant Sidney Poitier, if I were ever to write about Wonderful Men, he would be high on the list of inclusions).

Now in her sixties, Lulu continues to perform and be ever-present and popular in the public eye, I have written many times about how wonderful it is to see women with lengthy and successful careers. Lulu is a great ambassador for women in music, a true star and what a voice!

You have to be driven and very, very focused and hard work cannot frighten you. If you can develop those characteristics then you can stay in your job for a very long time.
Lulu

Mo Mowlam - Wonderful Woman No. 123

Mo Mowlam - 1949–2005
British Politician

Added to the album by Howie, A Wonderful Man

Serious, smart, fun and a fighter... A hell of a woman.
Neil Kinnock, former Labour Leader

Those who have read A Note About The Album, will be aware that I did make some ground rules about who I would accept to be nominated to the album. I asked that religious figures, royalty and British MPs not to be nominated, mostly because of the possible differences of opinion these may create (admittedly, also in part due to my own views on religion and monarchy). Sometimes however, rules should rightly be broken, and in the case of Mo Mowlam, I strongly feel that she is deserving of her place here amongst the Wonderful Women.

Mo joined the Labour party in her first year at Durham University, where she studied Sociology and Anthropology. She took her seat as a Member of Parliament in 1987 and joined the Shadow Cabinet in 1992, initially as Shadow Secretary of State for National Heritage and later as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, under Tony Blair's leadership.

Her persistence, toughness and good humour were legendary. All of us who worked to support peace in Northern Ireland owe her our gratitude.
Bill Clinton, Former President of the USA

In the 1997 general election, Labour gained power in a landslide victory and Mo became Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. It was her dedication to peace in Northern Ireland for which Mo is best remembered. She worked with such vigour to instill an IRA ceasefire and held talks with Ulster loyalists in Maze Prison. The work she carried out was dangerous, she met face-to-face with convicted terrorists, she took unprecedented steps and did so with strength and conviction rarely seen in politicians of either sex. In 1998, Mo oversaw the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, the starting point of shared power and the beginning of the Northern Ireland Assembley. Today Northern Ireland is a very different country, Belfast a metropolitan centre and the region a growing tourist destination, one wonders if this would have all happened so quickly were it not for one woman.

Aside from politics, Mo set up the charity MoMo Helps, which assisted drug users after their rehabilitation and provided support for families and carers of those affected by drug addiction. The use of drugs was of particular interest to Mo, in parliament, she had called for international legalisation, citing countries like The Netherlands as places were legalisation had been successful and making the argument that the government would benefit from TAX on drugs and the financial gain would be taken out of the hands of criminals. Unusually for a person in power, she also made public that she had smoked cannabis whilst at university.

Shortly before Labour won the 1997 election, Mo had been diagnosed with a brain tumour. She had kept this fact secret for sometime, until the press started to comment on her loss of hair. In 2005, aged just 55, Mo lost her battle with the tumour and died in hospital.

Such a strong, determined and honest woman. Truly Wonderful and unforgettable.

Everyone has got to give a little. No-one is going to get 100% of what they want. If everybody is willing to accept some change, we can do it.
Mo Mowlam

Whoopi Goldberg - Wonderful Woman No. 122

Whoopi Goldberg - Born 1955
American Actress, Comedienne, Writer & Television Personality

Added to the album by Owain, A Wonderful Man

I must thank Owain for nominating Whoopi Goldberg to the album as, though I have seen her in many films, I knew nothing of her as an individual before beginning to research for this blog. She certainly is an interesting and inspiring woman, who has rightly earned her place amongst the other Wonderful Women of this album.

After already having established herself as a comedienne and television and stage actress, Whoopi's big break came in 1985 with the seminal film The Colour Purple (for which she won a Golden Globe). Her appearance in Ghost in 1990 gifted her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, she was the first black woman to be bestowed with an Academy Award in almost fifty years. Whoopi has appeared and

continues to appear in some of cinema's best loved films, such as; Sister Act, Girl, Interrupted and For Colored Girls. A real Hollywood star, her name an instant sign of a quality production.

In a number of films, such as the Sister Act movies, Whoopi has also shown herself to be an excellent singer and musical performer, indeed she has released five studio albums, including the soundtracks to the Sister Act films.

As well as her Golden Globe and her Oscar, Whoopi has recieved a plethora of other awards, perhaps most notably with regard to this album and our celebration of the achievements of women, is her Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.

Aside from her work within the entertainment industry, Whoopi dedicates much of her life to actively campaigning and working as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. She is also a supporter of the Give a Damn campaign to bring a wider awareness of discrimination of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual community.

She is also a children's writer, having published nine books so far. This, despite suffering from dyslexia.

A hugely successful and talented women, yet mindful and thoughtful too.

I am an artist, art has no color and no sex.
Whoopi Goldberg

Josephine Butler - Wonderful Woman No. 121

Josephine Butler - 1828–1906
British Political Activist

Throughout this album, pictured are many women for whom it has been their lives work to improve the world around them for other women; from Emmeline Pankhurst - Wonderful Woman No. 19 to The Dagenham Four - Wonderful Women No. 49 (collectively) to Simone Veil - Wonderful Woman No. 107, to name just a few. Today's entry to the blog, Josephine Butler, is another such woman, vehement and never-faultering in her efforts.

In 1863, the youngest of Josephine's four children and her only daughter, Evangeline, died at the age of six. So devastated by this experience, Josephine sought to improve the lives of other women who endured suffering such as she.

Among the many feminist issues for which she campaigned, Josephine particularly tried to help prostitutes. Though she thought the act sinful, Josephine recognised that the women were often exploited and that male oppression and control was often the driving force behind women turning to this way of making a living. A particular campaign that Josephine drove forward in support, was to raise the legal age of consent in the United Kingdom from 13 to 16, thus making child prostitution less prevalent and somewhat easier to control. In another campaign, Josephine fought against the Contagious Diseases Acts, which allowed the police to force any woman they suspected of being a prostitute to have a genital examination for disease and detain anyone with a disease for months in hospital until they were cured, Josephine had been known to refer to the procedure as "surgical rape" and campaigned that these acts were an infringement of civil liberties. The acts were finally repealed in 1886.

For a woman to speak publicly on matters concerning sexual health and prostitution in this era was highly unusual and Josephine was often met by shocked and appalled response. However, her stance was strong and she never shied from speaking out about the issues on which she felt so strongly.

Josephine also believed that women had the right to be educated. She was part of a group who pressured Cambridge University into providing further education courses for women, eventually leading to the opening of a female-only college at Newham. She was appointed president to the North of England Council for the Higher Education of Women in 1867. She also wrote a great many papers and essays.

In nowadays, the meaning of feminism can sometimes appear to be a little blurred, so I say look to Josephine Butler, a true feminist. A woman unafraid of social boundaries and expectations, a woman who believed in equality and liberty.

A superb example of what it is to be a Wonderful Woman.

God and one woman make a majority.
Josephine Butler