There’s a powerful new underground movement sweeping the nation and indeed the globe. A force to be reckoned with. Middle-aged women have a commander-in-chief. We are part of a tribe and Trinny Woodall is our spiritual leader.
Like many women of a certain age — and a disposition to a hot flush — I discovered Trinny during lockdown. While most of us had gone feral and looked like Stig of the Dump’s insane grandma, Trinny seduced us with her dedication to make-up, skincare, exfoliation, body brushing, lymphatic drainage, micro-needling, micro-currenting (micro-dosing, who knows?)… if the Government put half this effort into maintaining our critical infrastructure, we’d be in much better shape.
I was obsessed. Sometimes I would just lie on the sofa watching Trinny do a workout, while eating a croissant. But the magic about her content is that it wasn’t just about self-care, it was about self-respect. It was saying to us women feeling gloomy about the fact we were less spring chicken and more chicken skin — that not only was it OK to be “going down the path of life” but that you don’t have to give up on yourself, your life and your ambitions.
While we all love Trinny’s excellent make-up and skincare products, her broader philosophy — to unapologetically live your best life — is what became intoxicating. And for me, watching an older woman blossom in an online space dedicated to younger influencers, build a business, and have this unstoppable energy that you could power the national grid with was a revelation.
And she’s not alone. Carol Vorderman and Vanessa Feltz are also my current sheroes. For many women, we only begin to know ourselves and find our voice as we get older. Why should women disappear with knitting needles as our oestrogen begins to drop?
Men have venerated older male role models who are suave, sage silver foxes still allowed to have big jobs and be sexy. Of course, biology plays a part. But you shouldn’t be allowed to father a child if you can’t pick ’em up.
The Trinnies, Vanessas and Carols of this world are inspiring because they stand alone as female powerhouses in their own right, and on their own terms.
When news broke that Trinny had separated from her partner Charles Saatchi, my phone started popping with messages from my many fellow Trinny Tribers.
Trinny herself posted some content about her house move and what was so fascinating was how she changed the script. Instead of this being a devastating moment where an older woman (shock horror) became single, condemned to a life of solitude and pity, the response was one of admiration, respect, excitement and absolute envy at her fabulous new pad.
What Trinny has shown the world is that you don’t need a man for happiness. You do, however, need a massive dressing room.
And besides, she does have a man in her life — a lovely Irish boy called John who does her glowy make-up. I mean, what more could a girl want?
Keir Starmer’s time has come
It’s three years since Sir Keir Starmer became leader of the Labour Party. It had just been smashed by Boris Johnson (and aided by Jeremy Corbyn) and many of us thought it would take years or even a decade for it to get back on its feet. Now Labour has a solid poll lead and Starmer has a fighting chance of winning a majority.
It’s important to not get carried away, though. Much of his success has been down to epic self-sabotage by the Tories, from partygate to Liz Truss. But he has cleaned up Labour, promoted good people and skilfully capitalised on his opponents’ mistakes — something which recent Labour leaders have failed to do. A lot can happen between now and the election and he still has a lot to prove to win people over. But he knows that. And of all the politicians I’ve dined with recently, he’s the only one who picked up the bill, which makes a change.
