The Five Fearless Women in Pearls

It seems everyone is reading Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s controversial book, Lean In.  By the sheer number of people responding to it, both women and men alike, it seems destined to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. But anyone who thinks women have to act like men to get ahead misses the point.

Here are the five women who are fearless in living their lives: On their own terms and yet, are beautiful and comfortably feminine wearing their PEARLS.

1. Angelina Jolie

If there is any lingering doubt that Angelina is fearless, it’s now gone forever when she stunned the world with her announcement recently in a New York Times op-ed article that she quietly underwent a preventive double mastectomy. A sex symbol to many, the world stood in awe of her brave move and willingness to share her story.

Now hailed as an inspiration to other women, Angelina writes, “Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”

2. Nicole Kidman

In every incarnation, onscreen or off,  Nicole Kidman has been nothing less than fearless (if you have any doubt on this, see her in Paperboy).  “Nicole always does a high-wire act without a net,” Baz Luhrmann, the director of Moulin Rouge and Australia, once said, “and even if she sometimes falls, this is what makes her compelling—as an artist and as a person.”

The actress sums it up, “I am going to make failures .I am going to make successes. And I’m going to live my life.”

3. Carolina Herrera

We all should take our cue from Carolina Herrera, the  Venezuelan  aristocrat turned fashion designer known as the First Lady of Fashion. Encouraged in the beginning by Diane Vreeland, she now is a household name and at 74, has a career that many could only dream of. Herrera sports always a chic and elegant, yet surprisingly functional ensemble — pearl clip earrings, white crisp long-sleeved shirt, sometimes worn with an opera-length pearl necklace, with a big patent belt. Very Carolina.

It is  not at all surprising given that this designer has built a 32 year-old business based on those principles and a sense of classic style that has defied fearlessly a trend-obsessed industry. With her business turning over a billion dollars a year, she is right on being fearless.

4. Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek, is a Mexican-American Oscar-nominated actress, film director (Frida),  beauty entrepreneur (Nuance), and humanitarian. She is married to multi-billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, the CEO of Kering (formerly PPR), the luxury group that owns Gucci and Bottega Venetta among others. Salma has brought that same passion to her work as a human rights activist. She’s supported organizations that give aids to battered women and children.

Salma Hayek dazzled in Mikimoto pearls at the Independent Spirit Awards luncheon in Beverly Hills early 2013.

Her fearless and most defining moment came when she encountered a starving baby of a stranger in a UNICEF goodwill mission in Africa.  She didn’t think twice about nursing him as the news cameras rolled.

5. Michelle Obama

The Harvard grad and former corporate attorney (and husband Barack Obama’s boss) actively uses her platform as first lady to fight childhood obesity and promote healthier eating and lifestyles. With Americans viewing Michelle Obama in a positive light, she’s more popular than her husband by far .

Always in her now signature pearls, she says, “I always say that women should wear whatever makes them feel good about themselves. That’s what I always try to do.” One thing is for sure, wearing pearls makes the first lady look and feel good.

So what would you do if you were not afraid?