It was Oscars last Monday and Meryl Streep won for her third Oscar, this time in the Best Leading Actress category. According to IMDB, she has been nominated an astonishing 17 times for this.
Even though she is dressed in resplendent burnt gold, Meryl always manages to look like she's just come out of the kitchen after roasting the family a whole leg of lamb. If you ask me this is the secret to her staying power and her popularity - her ability to juggle sophistication and homely womanliness. She gave a charming acceptance speech where she thanked her husband first. Makeup and hairstyle comes and goes, but Meryl's womanly wiles have and will be here for the long run.
The movie Meryl Streep won for this year is “The Iron Lady”, a portrait of Britain's first and so far only lady Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. It told the story of Maggie T from her days as the daughter of a grocer; to dealing with the class and gender prejudice of the conservative party; to her becoming an icon of her time; to becoming a grand old dame coping with the onset of dementia and suffering the loss of her soul mate.
It's both disconcerting and riveting to watch the elderly Margaret Thatcher talk to her dead husband Denis, who she imagines speaking to her. This is the longest serving British Prime Minister of the twentieth century! With that helmet of hair, and booming drawl, she is the Iron Lady - she can't grow old! But grow old she does.
Meryl has been known for taking on the role of “the steely woman”, and plays Dame Thatcher to a T.
Unpopular at first, with her strong armed policies that closed down uneconomical state owned business. She also took on the trade unions that to her mind held the economy hostage. To the unemployed she simply told them to get to work.
The film, as a historical document, shows that these at the time, radical, policy of deregulation succeeded in turning matters round and creating wealth.
Along with the change of economic fortunes, Margaret Thatcher’s popularity rocketed on her firm stance on the invasion of the Falkland Island and her insistence not to be bullied. It took nerves of steel to make that massive decision to launch the first salvo and to sink the Argentine Cruiser, the General Belgrano, and she made it unflinchingly.
It must not have been easy to be a woman in politics during the time she became a Member of Parliament. There is a scene in the film where they show Thatcher going for voice lessons in her preparation to lead the Conservative Party. They said her voice was too nasally when it needed to be imperious. Off with the curls, hat and pearls. She got rid of the hat and kept the pearls and the hairdo finally sported became her trademark of sorts. A forbidding blonde hair-sprayed helmet, school marm-like, and one certainly not to be trifled with.
Next week on the 8th of March we celebrate International Women's Day with this year's theme of Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures. If I had my way, there would be a screening of The Iron Lady at every event aimed to inspire girls and mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. We'd all leave the room empowered, not to mention hopeful that we will, or be thankful that we have found the right man to support the passion. I believe her great untold story, as acknowledged by Meryl’s acceptance speech, was her love affair with her husband Denis who throughout appears to have been an unwavering and supportive presence.
@emmagoodegg
Illustration by Cuboi Art.
For the online version click here.
Comments