This week, Halle Berry topped In Touch Weekly‘s list of women who make 40 fabulous. A fabulous decision indeed:
It’s not just her skills or her strut that landed her in the top slot: In Touch credits her win to her personal evolution “into this woman that feels very confident in who she is.” Sexy, self-confident, and evolved? Excellent reasoning. And definitely traits these forty-somethings share.
What’s even more fabulous about the list than lady number one is its diversity. Scoring slot number two is Cuban-born beauty Daisy Fuentes:
And in third, smart and sexy Salma Hayek, as talented a producer as an actress:
Number four, Pamela Anderson:
Well, I was with them until that.
In fifth place, however, is the supremely talented singer-songwriter Martina McBride, whose lovely vocals could nearly convince me to tune into a country music station every now and then:
Rounding out the top ten are:
6. Maria Bello
7. Tia Carrere
8. Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon
9. Melina Kanakaredes
10. Nicole Kidman
In other list-related news, this week OK! magazine published its list of most influential celebrities. Included in the “newsmakers” category are Rosie O’Donnell for her stint on The View, T.R. Knight for coming out during the Isaiah Washington controversy, and Tyra Banks for her discussion of body image after being labeled “fat.”
Lest you be fooled into believing that OK! made its selections based on insightful cultural analysis, here’s who else made the cut: Katie Holmes and 10-month-old Dannielynn Hope, daughter of Anna Nicole Smith.
Holmes was given beauty queen props for her “girl next door” appeal and bravery in sporting a “sporty” haircut. Seriously, tell me this isn’t a tidier version of Shane’s mane on The L Word. And I know which girl I’d prefer to have live next door.
For influencing perceptions of beauty, I’d personally have selected America Ferrera, whose “ugly” Betty is single-handedly redefining the term:
And honestly — listing a child who can’t yet speak in complete sentences? Maybe by “influential,” OK! means “insane,” as in who was at the center of an insane media circus this year.
Just for fun, here’s another picture of Ms. Fabulous at 40:
