IN THIS ISSUE

In this issue I’m proud to showcase so many women who live or have lived life on their own terms. Consider, for example, Gina Miller who, in the past couple of years, has endured relentless, frankly disgusting abuse, simply for questioning a parliamentary process. The politics – whether we’re Team Leave or Team Remain – are irrelevant. What she has been subjected to is wrong. I find her powers of resilience astonishing and I truly wonder where women find such reserves of strength. Rachel Johnson discovers on page 34 that Gina has, in fact, faced greater trials in her life than the Brexit fallout.

Gina’s story lays bare how harrowing it often is, in 2018, to be a strong woman with firm opinions and the courage to demand you be heard. Which leaves me even more in awe of some of the formidable women from the past. Coco Chanel, Josephine Baker, Frida Kahlo and Mrs Beeton are just some of the greats featured in a new book, which we’ve covered on page 44. They dealt with all our modern-day scourges – body fascism, ageism and all manner of prejudices – but in far less enlightened times than ours, and as such were often the first wave of women standing up for equalities that we appreciate today. It’s amazing, isn’t it, to think that Mae West’s message of body positivity is still one we need to hear – and it’s even more inspiring to think that she was saying it in the 1930s and so was really blazing that trail.

But surely the gold medal in this issue for really marching to the beat of your own drum must go to Olive Moyses, or rather now Mrs Olive Stark. At 75 years young, she’s taken the plunge and married for the first time. It’s never too late to live the life you really want. Thank you for inviting YOU to your spectacular 1940s-themed day, Mr and Mrs Stark; you have given us all a renewed faith in love.

Enjoy the issue!

“I FIND WOMEN’S POWERS OF RESILIENCE ASTONISHING”