Jane Fonda is back and better than ever with a new book. The bold tell-all memoir and advice guide is entitled, "Prime Time: Love, Health, Sex, Fitness, Friendship, Spirit-making," and for Jane it is all about making the most of all of your life. The past year saw the fabulous celebration and reemergence of octogenarian actresses Betty White and Cloris Leachman. It is a gift that at almost 74-years-old Madam Fonda is choosing to share her wisdom as well.
The Academy award-winning actress has also been a political activist, a fitness guru, a fashion model and a sex symbol. Her new role is that of elder stateswoman. Lady Jane was born Hollywood royalty as the daughter of actor Henry Fonda. Her choices in all aspects of her life have been brave and at times she has been quite unpopular, even being branded Hanoi Jane in the Viet Nam War era, but her conviction to her self has never wavered. The "Barbarella" star talks about her storied past with Laura Brown in this month's Harper's Bazaar Magazine.
Jane's Key Life Lessons
Laughter is the Best Medicine
This woman has been through the mill in every aspect of her life. Her father may have been fabulously famous but her mother committed suicide when she was just 12-years-old. A child doesn't experience that kind of deep wound and go on to thrive without learning the power of laughter. She explains, "What helps me, now that I'm old, is I don't take things as seriously as I used to. I almost never get stressed." Laugh on, Jane.
Beauty is Not Everything
Sure it's one thing for gurus with average looks to tell us that beauty is not important, but when a legendary beauty says it we take notice. Earlier this year in Cannes Lady Jane had a moment when she saw herself in a brand new way. She says, "I was at the entry of the Palais and there are all these posters of Bardot, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, and then there's me!" Despite being regarded among the great bombshells she goes on to explain, "I was raised in the 50's. I was taught by my father that how I looked was all that mattered." Luckily, she went on to teach herself that there was much more.
Life Has a Third Act
Jane is not about winding down in her "sunset years." She is about living with non-stop exuberance. Her lessons are as important for Millennials as they are for Baby Boomers. She proposes an alternative way to view one's life. "Instead of viewing an arch - you rise, you peak, you decline - view it as a staircase.Your body may fall apart, but on every level that really matters, you can ascend toward enlightenment, wisdom and authenticity. That's what I'm going for," she explains.
Strong and fearless, Ms. Fonda seems to be just getting started. We can't wait to see what she does next. We may enjoy "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" but let's not forget those who paved the way for us all to shine and excel. Brava!
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