My View: Forget celebrity culture, let's champion real women of substance
WhaT does it mean to have substance?
The dictionary definition is "essential nature; essence". To me, it means someone who is selfless, with integrity, drive and determination and honesty; a role model for others to follow.
We all know women of substance. It may be someone who is very ordinary on the surface but has achieved extraordinary things. It may be the single mum who has dedicated her life to bringing up her children, or the stalwart fund-raiser trying to make life better for others or the campaigner determined to stand up for what they think is right.
I have interviewed many women of substance over the years and I never fail to feel inspired by what they have achieved, often against the odds.
And it seems I am not alone. A recent survey revealed that a growing number of women are becoming disillusioned the celebrity culture in Britain today.
A nationwide poll of 1,000 UK women aged 18-65 years old found that nine out of 10 felt there are too many women in the public eye who lack real substance.
Nearly two-thirds name Paris Hilton (65 per cent) as the female personality most lacking in substance, followed by Kerry Katona (58 per cent). Other female celebrities given the thumbs down are Jordan, glamour models Jodie Marsh and Danielle Lloyd, reality TV personalities and WAGs. Ninety-five per cent of 16-24 year-olds also said they had no real role models in their life.
In a bid to redress this balance and also to mark the 30th anniversary of her book A Woman of Substance, Yorkshire author Barbara Taylor Bradford and her publisher, Harper Collins, are running a campaign to find Britain's real woman of substance.
"A Woman of Substance is a book that has changed the lives for a lot of women. It empowered them to believe in themselves. It showed them that with great ambition, discipline and stamina they could really succeed. I'm delighted that now, 30 years later, we are surrounded by real examples of women of substance and I feel it's about time that we recognised and celebrated their achievements.
"We need to champion women who do extraordinary things be it in their home and with their family, in the area they live in, in the work that they do. It is quite shocking that women feel there are so few female role models in their lives today."
People are being urged to either nominate themselves or someone they know who has real substance; real women who have done real things. It is about time that Britain acknowledge these women rather than paying homage to here-today gone-tomorrow celebrities.
For information on the Woman of Substance Awards, visit www.awosawards.co.uk. Closing date is July 31, with the awards ceremony taking place in early September. The awards, conducted in association with Debenhams, P&O Cruises, are supporting the charity Target Ovarian Cancer.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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