What women in their 40s+ still have a soft, feminine quality about them?

[Imzadi]

A friend & I are trying to come up with a list of women, actresses or characters who are still have soft, open & feminine qualites and are older: forties & up. Do women automatically lose these qualities as they get older, get out in the work force, mature and have some life experience & depth to them?

It seems the all women we named that are feminine have a ditsy or weak quality that goes with being feminine. Like you can't be intelligent AND feminine at the same time.


The kind of qualities we want are in these women below, but they all are younger than forty and a lot of them play ditsy.

Isla fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Drew Barrymore in everything.
Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain, where is was inexperienced, sheltered and pampered.
Charlotte in Sex and the City.
Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blond


The few exceptions we thought of as still retaining intelligence are:
Jennifer Love Hewett who chases after & whispers to ghosts in sexy but soft, lacy dresses.

Kate Winslett in Titanic

Meryl Streep at the end of Mamma Mia, when she's looking up at the guy at the end, (not wanting to give a spoiler,) and she dropped all her guarded defenses and look softly, lovingly & adoringly at him, with that Meryl Streep trademark look she gives in movies like: Sophie's Choice & Bridges of Madison County.


Can you help us name some others?

 

[Serena]

Me.


and Jaclyn Smith, Jane Seymour, Cheryl Ladd, and many others.

 

[teacups]

What does feminine mean to you?
And I assume you mean characters and not real life?

 

[Imzadi]

Jaclyn Smith is a good one!

I'm also adding in Farrah Fawcett. Even to the end, battling cancer, she was strong but didn't take on a "masculine" energy in her fight.

What does feminine mean to you?
And I assume you mean characters and not real life?

They can be either characters or real life. I guess characters are easier to spot since we spend 2 hours watching their characters.

Like Kelly Preston is one. Soft, sweet quality. But, I haven't seen enough of her, other than in interviews to be sure.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Diane Lane.....

 

[teacups]

I think maybe that personality can be boring in a 2 hour sitting, so they usually end up killing someone or having an afair in the end to spice things up And maybe I'm too focused on the chocolate ice cream cones I'm supposed to be making to think straight LOL! I'll keep thinking....

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Diane Lane, definitely!

But Halle Berry would be my top answer, hands down! She's beautiful, soft, sweet, super feminine.

Salma Hayek also fits the bill I think.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Not sure she acts anymore, but I saw Holly Robinson Peete today on a commercial.... she was STUNNING, and looked soft and sexy.

 

[redlight]

Valerie Bertinelli, Diane Lane, Diane Keaton. Is Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls over 40?

 

[luvmy3]

Jane Seymour and Diane Lane IMO are 2 of the most beautiful, feminine yet strong *older* women.

 

[Jennasis]

I'd have a harder time naming famous women who DON't have that quality.

 

[suejai]

A friend & I are trying to come up with a list of women, actresses or characters who are still have soft, open & feminine qualites and are older: forties & up. Do women automatically lose these qualities as they get older, get out in the work force, mature and have some life experience & depth to them?

It seems the all women we named that are feminine have a ditsy or weak quality that goes with being feminine. Like you can't be intelligent AND feminine at the same time.


The kind of qualities we want are in these women below, but they all are younger than forty and a lot of them play ditsy.

Isla fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic.
Drew Barrymore in everything.
Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain, where is was inexperienced, sheltered and pampered.
Charlotte in Sex and the City.
Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blond


The few exceptions we thought of as still retaining intelligence are:
Jennifer Love Hewett who chases after & whispers to ghosts in sexy but soft, lacy dresses.

Kate Winslett in Titanic

Meryl Streep at the end of Mamma Mia, when she's looking up at the guy at the end, (not wanting to give a spoiler,) and she dropped all her guarded defenses and look softly, lovingly & adoringly at him, with that Meryl Streep trademark look she gives in movies like: Sophie's Choice & Bridges of Madison County.


Can you help us name some others?

I may not be reading this correctly but you say Nicole Kidman and Charlotte from Sex in the City are examples of what you are looking for but that they are under forty however, they are 42 and 44 respectively. Then you list Jennifer Love Hewitt as an exception but she is only 30, and Kate Winslet is 34. (I don't mean to be pedantic but I am confused)

It is hard to judge actresses because the roles they play makes it hard to know their true personalities, and we can't possibly know what they are like at home. But I think Meryl Streep falls into your category, she always seems very feminine at the Oscars and I'm sure there are very many others, like Nicole Kidman and Kristin Davis (Charlotte).

 

[KristaTX]

I'd have a harder time naming famous women who DON't have that quality.

Yeah, I'm not getting this thread. Other than someone being very mannish/butch or something, I honestly don't understand what you are talking about.

Give me some examples of women who do not make your list of feminine actresses ? Or maybe an "over-the-hill" man (40+ ) who has the male version of the negative quality you are talking about.

 

[Aisling]

Diane Lane is a wonderful example of being very feminine, intelligent, strong, and she's 44.

Someone mentioned Valerie Bertinelli, but she's just too cutesy.

 

[Aisling]

Yeah, I'm not getting this thread. Other than someone being very mannish/butch or something, I honestly don't understand what you are talking about.

Give me some examples of women who do not make your list of feminine actresses ? Or maybe an "over-the-hill" man (40+ ) who has the male version of the negative quality you are talking about.

Well, Madonna is a good example of being over 40, strong, intelligent and NOT feminine.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

As an actor you are playing a role. Movies are fantasy and not real life.

So, making the comparison between real life and movie life is kind of like talking about when you win the lottery. Not going to happen however fun to think about.

If you are talking about women around you then you need to get out more. I know plenty of intelligent women over 40 who are fun and beautiful.

Anyway, beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Well, Madonna is a good example of being over 40, strong, intelligent and NOT feminine.

Here's a question for you: How do you define feminine?

 

[Papa Deuce]

Here's a question for you: How do you define feminine?

Take Madonna, and reverse it.

 

[Aisling]

Here's a question for you: How do you define feminine?

Hmmm, good question. I think it's easier for me to define what it's not, sort of like the "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it" kind of thing.

A woman who is "softly feminine" (as per the OP), doesn't spread her legs wearing S&M outfits during concerts, doesn't work her body to where her arms can be mistaken for a man's arms, doesn't use foul language, doesn't have that rough edge. No offense to Madonna, but when I think softly feminine, I don't think of her. I realize this is her entertainment persona, but this is how I see her.

 

[Imzadi]

I may not be reading this correctly but you say Nicole Kidman and Charlotte from Sex in the City are examples of what you are looking for but that they are under forty however, they are 42 and 44 respectively. Then you list Jennifer Love Hewitt as an exception but she is only 30, and Kate Winslet is 34. (I don't mean to be pedantic but I am confused)

It is hard to judge actresses because the roles they play makes it hard to know their true personalities, and we can't possibly know what they are like at home.

Tht's probably why the examples I listed were characters, as we really don't know what these women are like. And yes, some of these actresses also played more agressive, harder characters too.

I meant Nicole's character in Cold Mountain, was inexperienced, regardless of her real age. In To Die For, she had a stronger, agressive edge to her.

The character of Charlotte has always come across ditsy to me, regardless of Kristin Davis' age.

Kate Winslett in Titanic & Jennifer Love Hewitt in Ghost Whisperer are soft and intelligent even though they are younger. JLH tended to play "cutesy" characters when she was actually younger than she is now.

Give me some examples of women who do not make your list of feminine actresses ?

Okay. I'm also not talking sexy. Hollywood really pushes sexy, but it's not necessarily soft & feminine.

Angelina Jolie has an aggressive edge to her. Beautiful, sexy, but not softly feminine.

Catherine Zeta Jones, very beautiful & sexy, but cold, arrogant, hard.



I'll have to think of some other examples...