7 Inspiring Women Over 50 – Who You May Not Know

 By M. Simpson–

In honor of Mother’s Day, we are starting a series of “Inspiring Women over 50” to honor women who have been –and are still – exemplary models of living better at 50. Below are seven examples of women in various industries and categories who were chosen not for how famous they are, but for what they contribute to their communities and even the entire world.

Human Rights

charon asetoyerCharon Asetoyer (In photo to left and feature photo above) – As a Comanche activist who set up the first reservation-based women’s center, Asetoyer has dedicated her efforts to combat and aid sexually assaulted Native American women. According to statistics by the Justice Department as published in the New York Times, one in three Native women will be raped or sexually assaulted within their lifetime. To fight against these atrocious odds, Asetoyer created The Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center. The center was created because Asetoyer felt that despite the reprehensible frequency of sexual assault on Native American women, and the knowledge of this fact by public officials, nothing was being done to rectify it. She vows to continue to calling upon Congress and high-ranking government officials to acknowledge and alleviate the widespread sexual violence against Native American women.

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Arts and Activism

Gloria AnzaldúaGloria Anzaldúa and Cherrie Moraga – These two Chicana feminist scholars were voicing their protests through poetry, prose and other written works of art decades before it became easy to publish similar content on blogs and social media. In the 1981 anthology This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. Anzaldúa, together with Stanford professor Cherrie Moraga were among the first to protest racism within feminism through poetry and manuscripts, and by compiling writings by Black, Asian, Latina and Native American Women.

 

 

Fitness

Diana Nyad

Diana Nyad – In 2014, after four failed attempts due to shark attacks, poisonous jellyfish, harsh winds and a prolonged asthma attack, 65-year old Nyad reached her lifelong goal of becoming the first person – not just the first woman – to ever swim the 110 mile stretch from Cuba to Florida. It took her just over two days – 53 hours total and this amazing endurance swimmer did it all without the protection of a shark cage. When she finally made to shore, so physically and mentally exhausted she could barely speak at all, she said “..we should never give up. You are never too old to chase your dreams.”

 

Betty Jean McHugh

Betty Jean (BJ) McHugh – Now 87 years old, Betty Jean – who prefers to be called BJ – is an international marathon runner who has broken loads of records for her age group, including the Honolulu marathon and the Rome marathon. If you’re thinking, okay, she’s probably always been a marathon runner who just never stopped – you’d be wrong. She didn’t even start running until after she was 50, and ran her first marathon at age 55 – and still smoked at the time. Her running schedule is comparable to that of a 25 year old – a very very fit 25 year old. She runs every morning for at least an hour, sometimes two, with the exception of Sunday. Later in the day, she goes for a long bike ride, or works out at the gym, or does yoga, or goes to spin class. Even most Sundays she doesn’t really “take off,” and usually goes for a long hike or bike ride. She is definitely an ideal figure of inspiration next time you are tempted to sit on the couch all morning instead of going to that power yoga class.

 

Beauty and Fashion

cindy josephCindy Joseph  – Her cosmetic company website has this quote:

“Taking joy in living is a woman’s best cosmetic.” Rosalind Russell.

A 60-something make-up artist-turned-supermodel, Cindy Joseph’s philosophy is not that you can be beautiful, but that you already are beautiful – inside and out – at any age. Her cosmetic company, Boom, according to its website, is for women who “want to reveal their genuine beauty with an honest and realistic approach.” No gimmicks or promises about how Boom products will make you look 30 years younger, but instead, both Joseph and her cosmetic line urge you to embrace your age and your face at every age – not hide it, or try to make it something else. Joseph’s approach to beauty, age and cosmetics are what make this line so exceptional, and her continual efforts to change not just personal perspectives, but societal and cultural perspectives on what and who is beautiful – is an inspiration to women of all ages.

 

Business and Career Reinvention

 

Karen LoveKaren Love – A very prosperous news media professional for 34 years, Karen Love, now 68, decided to leave her work at the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and finally her last media position as COO at the Michigan Chronicle – a minority newspaper, to go back to school at age 65. She wanted to show her grandchildren that you can do anything you want – go back to school, change careers, etc -regardless of age. She earned a sociology degree at Eastern Michigan University, and then went on to earn a master’s in gerontology from USC. She is now doing the kind of work she’s always wanted to do – helping seniors be active and involved in their communities.

 

Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira

Armenia Nercessian de Oliveira, Rio de Janeiro – Up until her mid 50’s, Armenia served as a UN Human Rights Officer, helping refugees and people in countries filled with anarchy and devastated by both territorial and civil wars. Her group within the UN was even awarded a Nobel Prize in the 80’s. She had an awesome salary, retirement benefits to die for (no pun intended) and high social standing. And just like that, she gave it all up for the people of the very countries she had been working with for years – to help stop conflicts before they started, by economically empowering them. De Oliveira co-founded Novica, which directly connects international artisans with American shoppers, rather than buying up their products and warehousing them. Instead, she established offices all over the world, including Bhurma, India, Peru, Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, Bali, and plenty of others. She was included in both the book and movie “Eat Pray Love,” and the only one to be identified by her actual name. She said“..it is rewarding to hear each new story about how Novica is changing lives. That is what counts in life. Not money. Not a career.”

If that isn’t profoundly inspiring, I’m not sure what is.

There are, of course, hundreds more women who are truly figures of inspiration, and it almost seems unfair to not be able to name all of them in the same article. But of course, you can only name so many before it just becomes a list of names. Please feel free to recommend a woman or women who have been figures of inspiration to you, for our next “Inspiring Women Over 50” article.

 

M.E. Simpson is a freelance writer and content marketing professional, who writes for numerous online and print publications. She currently resides in south-central PA and enjoys zumba and playing the piano.

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7 Inspiring Women Over 50 – Who You May Not Know
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