I Want to be Helen Mirren

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A few weeks ago, on an uncharacteristically warm February morning, I woke up with the realisation that I was now fifty years old. How did that happen? One minute I was in my school uniform, smoking behind the bike sheds and discussing whether or not our games teacher was a lesbian (she was), and the next minute I’m a fifty-year-old mother of three with a balding (but lovely) husband.

WTF? As my children would say.

There’s no denying it; it won’t be long before I am officially old. Although, as a breast cancer survivor, that’s by no means a certainty. But presuming I’m lucky enough to get much older, I thought it would be worth considering what kind of woman I want to be in my third act.

My first thought was Meryl Streep. I mean, who doesn’t love Meryl? She’s so gorgeous and poised and wise. But I couldn’t picture myself as Meryl. She’s just too aloof and elusive. 

I’ve always aspired to be elusive. When I turned up on my first day at University, that was my main aim. I wanted people to say “Do you know Clare Pooley?” and the response to be “Nobody really knows Clare Pooley.” Needless to say, by the end of Fresher’s Week, I’d told everyone my life story and innermost secrets, and here I am, three decades later, still over-sharing.

So Meryl is just too unattainable, and I’ve decided that Helen Mirren is who I’m going to be. Here’s why:

Helen Mirren would never wear beige

Once you get past fifty, people expect you to blend into the background, to start dressing for comfort rather than style, to wear beige. Helen Mirren is seventy-three, but would never be seen in elasticated waists or orthopeadic shoes, oh no.

In fact, when Helen was sixty-two, a photo of her on holiday in Puglia, wearing a bright red bikini on the beach made the front pages all over the world. And she looked amazing. She didn’t have a perfect body, obviously, but she wore the one she had with such panache.

So, from now on, whenever I’m buying clothes, I’m going to ask myself would Helen wear it? And I’m going to carry on wearing a bikini, however much my children grimace, and despite the fact that I only have 1.75 breasts (see above re breast cancer).

Helen Mirren swears like a trooper

I’ve never been a big fan of swearing. I’ve always thought it a bit obvious, expected and lazy. If I’m going to shout at someone, I like to do it with a little more originality. 

However, as you get older, people stop expecting you to swear. They expect you to say ‘gosh’ or ‘blimey’. Not Helen. She says fuck. Loudly, unapologetically and a lot. On live TV even. She says women have got to stop being polite. If I ever had children, which I don’t, the first thing I’d teach a girl of mine is the words ‘f-off.’ 

But never make the mistake of calling Helen ‘feisty.’ She says two phrases I hate in reference to female characters are ‘strong’ and ‘feisty.’ They really annoy me. It’s the most condescending thing. You say that about a three-year-old. It infantilises women. 

That told you.

So, in my sixth decade, I am going to drop the f-bomb with style. Regularly.

Helen Mirren is a girl’s girl

Helen likes men. She lived with the utterly gorgeous Liam Neeson for four years, back in the eighties, and has been married for over twenty years. But she says In my heart of hearts I love women more than I love men. I mean, sexuality aside – I loved my friend I had in college because there was a sense of camaraderie and physical closeness that doesn’t have to be sexual.

I totally agree, and I think that menopause, like puberty, is a time when female friendships are crucial. Who else can really understand what we’re going through?

Helen Mirren makes being child-free cool

I have no maternal instinct whatsoever, says Helen. Motherhood holds no interest for me…. I am so happy that I didn’t have children. Well, you know, because I’ve had freedom. And I’ve so loved my freedom.

For those of us without children, and those of us who are worrying about the ones we have leaving home, this is hugely refreshing. Instead of dreading empty-nest syndrome, I’m starting to think about all the things I could do and the places I could go.

Helen says I still have a Gypsy sense of adventure. I don’t think I have slept in the same bed for more than three or four months my whole life.

I have slept in the same bed for eighteen years. I obviously need to sleep in more beds.

Helen Mirren fights through fear

You’d think that after decades on film and the stage, Helen would have bags of confidence, but she says I still suffer terribly from stage fright. I get sick with fear…You just have to cope with it – take it on the chin and work through it, trying to use the adrenalin to perform.

And that’s what I’m going to do with the next decade. I’m going to take it on the chin and work through it. I’m going to perform. I’m going to cherish my girlfriends, and swear copiously, while travelling the world dressed in a bikini.

Just don’t call me feisty.

You can find all my blog posts on the ups and downs of life 45+ on the Life in the Hot Lane Facebook page, along with relevant newspaper articles and posts from contributing writers like the fabulous Lisa Timoney. 

Coming up next week: PELVIC FLOORED!

Published

38 thoughts on “I Want to be Helen Mirren”

      1. She was a lesbian?! She hated me – always put me in the B team with a derogatory sniff. Lovely post and looking forward to many more! 😀. Kate x

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  3. Fabulous Blog! I’m nearly a decade ahead of you but everything resonates with me! (My PE teacher turned out not to be a lesbian!) Looking forward to reading more!😁❤️

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  8. I reached 50 last October & its only this last few months I’ve actually thought who WTH happened in my life. But with hitting 50 I knew this year had to be filled with big dreams, my motto Go Big & Go Bold. So I festered about what to do. So I did the following
    1- booked myself a solo trip to Bali in October
    2- I’m going to climb me a mountain ( I’ve just started on my sobriety journey, so a mountain in itself; but physically I want to go up Snowdon this year) so ladies onwards & upwards.

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      1. Thank you, still wondering if it will be inspiring if I do my hips in ( did i mention it’s a yoga retreat in Bali) 😀 I haven’t done proper yoga for so long so got 6 months to try to do my best downward dog or pigeon pose without slipping a disc.

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  10. I love this:
    “And that’s what I’m going to do with the next decade. I’m going to take it on the chin and work through it. I’m going to perform. I’m going to cherish my girlfriends, and swear copiously, while travelling the world dressed in a bikini.”

    Yes! My new battle cry. I’m not sure about the bikini part, however. Let me get to the gym a couple more times … or at all. Never mind! ” … while traveling the world in swim shorts!”

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  11. love the new blog Clare – as a 67 year old who is STILL having hectic hot flushes I am used to lifeinthehotlane and look forward to sharing the journey with you, Helen and all the other fabulous ladies out there 😉 Janet xxx

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  12. I’m delighted to have more Clare to read!

    I’m 61, which is something I’ve been able to ignore completely since my birthday three weeks ago. God.

    But I’m a sober 61 and I will next start working toward my Mirren Merit Badge. (I have the swearing part covered.)

    Hooray!

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  14. A delightful post Claire. I’m delighted to feel some way ‘normal’ among all you wonderful ladies 🌸

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  15. Hi Clare … Not feisty but fun and fantastic 🙂 I am sure that you will be helping girls as much as you did with the wine witch ousting ….

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  16. Only just got around to reading but I love this! Funny and bang on with where I am in life. I don’t want to wear beige or stop saying FUCK! either, I’m right with you and look forward future posts. xxx

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