Even though Meryl Streep couldn’t find her glasses at the Golden Globes, I’m convinced that she can find great acting roles by any means necessary, including echolocation and clairvoyance.
She’s great in “THE IRON LADY,” and we have to give her props since Maggie was, to put it mildly, not universally popular as Britain’s first, and so far only, woman Prime Minister. Streep herself has said that it took some effort to find the sympathetic elements in the subject’s character.

Margaret Thatcher indeed ruled with an iron fist, but rule she did. She engaged, she participated, she seized power, and she used it. And more women need to do this, in terms of global politics and business. Why? Because women in power are good for everyone in general, even when we differ with their specific policies.

As Oscars night fast approaches, Streep’s eight Golden Globe nominations are important for a couple of reasons. First, it’s no secret that roles for women in Hollywood are scarce. Perhaps you’ve read the statistics that, when a woman does appear in a film, it’s likely that her character has no name. It is also likely that she will take her clothes off, and serve primarily as a sexual sub-plot to the “real” story.

Could it be that women, too often, display these characteristics in real time, in real life?

As Women’s History Month approaches in March, it seems to me that women are shockingly absent. Art imitates life in most instances, and the fact that women are by and large missing from film roles says to me that we are missing from influential roles off-camera, as well.

Does this mean that you have to run for office? Not necessarily, although I would ask, why not, if you can? I’m defining the term “office” here as any position of community influence, including at your child’s school, public library branch, food co-op, or local animal shelter. But here’s what it means, for sure: each of us—every woman, every person – has to engage and participate in order to create positive social change.

Anne Frank said it succinctly: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

And you don’t have to be Prime Minister – or an Oscar-winning actress – to do it.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 9:23 pm and is filed under under my skin with jane wurwand, founder of dermalogica.