The aging idols

I wasn’t ready for it. First there was one, then another. I’m not sure how, but the ladies I grew up with have gotten older.
It couldn’t possibly be that I’m aging, could it? 

This year, Sandra Bullock is turning 50, as is supermodel Elle McPherson and Melissa Gilbert.  Even Ally McBeal is hitting the big five-oh.
But the two that gave me pause have turned 60.  They were the ones I wanted to be when I grew up.

First is California golden girl, Christie Brinkley.  At 60 years – yes, 60! – she should look like someone’s grandma. 

Instead, Christie recently posed in a bathing suit and looked no more than a decade or so older than her many Sports Illustrated covers. 
And don’t assume it’s the plastic surgery fairy.  She’s says she’s still au naturel and I believe her. 

At a time when other models became the backstory for disorders and addictions, Brinkley was always seen as a healthy role model. 
And for a self-conscious teen, her curvy figure was a relief. 

More than just a face, she became an actress, an illustrator, a photographer, a writer, a designer and an activist. 

I could blame her agelessness on a charmed life.  However, she’s survived a helicopter crash and four failed marriages. 

Despite this, Brinkley is still the epitome of positivity and perseverance.  And she’s still a sought after model.

On the other side of the spectrum is Oprah Winfrey – who just celebrated her 60th with a spinning class. In an interview, she was asked about her legacy.

Oprah was a black woman with her own talk show at a time when they were all grey-haired white guys.  (Thank you, Phil Donahue!) 

She talked with Klan members in the deep south.  She opened up about her own failings – her weight, her hair, her abuse, her teen pregnancy. 

She started programs for reading and non-profits. She kick-started the TV careers of Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Suzy Orman, Rachel Ray and others.

The most powerful woman in television, Oprah gave back financially, used her influence politically, and moved beyond the U.S. with her projects. 

Sure, she made mistakes and annoyed some people.  But she tried.  And she’s far from finished.

How many of us can look back at our life and use the word legacy? 

It’s certainly not a word most of today’s media figures think about. 

Negative press is almost as sought after as the positive if it keeps you in the media eye. 

But too many of the women who make headlines today seem to quickly become media road kill.

And nobody values them. 

Meanwhile, Christie and Oprah have spent decades making their mark all over the media – and in many ways, my life. 

After all, I built five homes with Habitat for Humanity because of an episode of Oprah.

Of course, these days I don’t think about them in terms of “when I grow up.”  

Now I just want to be like them … when I grow old.