Female Icon Friday: Jane Fonda
You probably know her best from her role as the monstrously overbearing mother in Monster-in-Law, but Jane Fonda has quite the resume built over 50 years of acting.
Born Lady Jane Seymour Fonda, sister to Peter and Bridget Fonda, this self-described liberal and feminist started acting in 1954 when she performed in a charity presentation, The Country Girl, alongside her father. During her time at Vassar, she traveled to Paris to study art. In the 1960s she starred in legendary films such as Walk on the Wild Side, which she received a Golden Globe for her performance, and Cat Ballou which gained her five Oscar nominations and catapulted her to Hollywood royalty. Later, her career saw greater esteem when she added more renowned titles under her belt like the original Fun With Dick and Jane and The China Syndrome.
Along the way, Jane became heavily involved in political activism, even considering becoming a politician herself and later labeling American political and military leaders as “war criminals.” She’s known for aggressively protesting major military conflicts such as the Vietnam and Iraq wars as well as aligning with the revolutionary mission of the Black Panthers declaring “Revolution is an act of love; we are the children of revolution, born to be rebels. It runs in our blood.”
Jane Fonda’s beauty is more about her deep-rooted passions and the never-ending tenacity to fight for what she believes in. Her impact in Hollywood, on the stage, and in the front lines is what drew us to her. She is a revolutionary, visionary and an icon. We could not have thought of anyone more deserving of this distinction.
