Women who inspire

I've started a new collection. Whenever I read an article about a woman doing something amazing, I cut out that article. Whenever I meet a woman achieving success and forging an interesting path, I file her away in my head. I've had enough of a media that is dominated by vacuous celebrities. I'm tired of reading social websites that discuss the ins and outs of some lingerie model's life. There are better people to be writing about and better people to be admiring. I want my daughter to see that there is life beyond Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston and Lara Bingle.

There are so many amazing women in my life. Women who are making grass roots contributions to enviromentally sustainable living. My friend Katerina runs a green cleaning business and wants to save the world. My friend Robyn teaches primary school kids about nature and the environment. She's ensuring the next generation cares about our world. I'm surrounded by women writers and editors who inspire me on a daily basis. Inspire me much more than a botoxed actress ever will. Lindy who is starting her own publishing business. Alison who is already seeing the possibilities of e-books. I have female Facebook friends who campaign for palm free products. Who actually achieve results from their tireless work and ensure we never forget to check the ingredients list on the things we buy. The list goes on...

As for my file of clippings, let me share...Ever heard of Anneke Van Woudenberg? Unless you read the same Age article as me last month, chances are you haven't. Anneke is 39 year old Dutch-born Canadian who left her highly paid banking job in London to become a Human Rights Watch senior investigator. She listens to and collates the horrific stories of the people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She takes the stories to the United Nations, to rich governments to make them listen and act.

My other clipping is about Ayaan Hirsi Ali who wrote "Infidel" - I haven't read the book yet but it's on my list. Ali is Somalian born but now lives in the Netherlands. She is a vocal critic of Islam and at heart a conversative. Her views are intriguing and they challenge me, just as they challenge the assumptions of both the Islamic world and the Western one. I'm more interested in learning about this woman than knowing the ins and outs of Jennifer Aniston's love life.

All this is percolating in my head. A book maybe. A website. Something that shows women of all ages that we need to take our heads out of The Who Weekly and stop allowing ourselves to be sidetracked and anaethetised by trivia. Our daughters and our sons need better role models than the ones that are trotted out on a regular basis. Jess Watson is a good start. So is Sam Lane. You don't have to look and behave like Barbie doll. Life is far more interesting than that!