Style Icon: Charlotte Rampling

Charlotte Rampling isn't even so much a style icon as she is a body image icon for me. I've always loved the dark and mysterious roles she plays, and I've always thought she was a fabulous actress, but it wasn't until I saw her in The Night Porter that I realized she's also built a lot like me, right down to her small bust.  Here's the thing though: Charlotte is unabashedly sexy, frequently appearing topless or completely nude in movies and photo shoots. And as someone who long felt self-conscious about having such meager boobage, I was completely thrilled when I realized that this sex symbol didn't have the classic Hollywood hourglass figure at all.

 Discovering Charlotte Rampling's bold seductiveness on screen was the final step in learning to view my own body not as sexy in spite of its faults, but sexy for exactly what it is -- and isn't. Va-va-voom hourglass ladies like Brigitte Bardot and Salma Hayek have their own brand of sexiness, but so do the rest of us, and in Charlotte I was able to see the appeal of my own slim, boyish figure: the bust that will never sag, the thighs that don't jiggle. There's a youthfulness in our body type that has its own unique appeal, and especially as I've gotten older, I've grown to really appreciate this fact.

The other thing I admire about Charlotte Rampling is that she has a very natural, soft approach to beauty, never looking overly made-up or coiffed. In her early years of acting she was the antithesis of the carbon-copy starlets that the movie industry pumps out by the dozen. As she's gotten older she has eased into her years with dignity and grace, and to me is the more alluring because she hasn't had 'work' done. At 64 she is still lovely, and is such a wonderful contrast to the overly-stretched, expressionless face that Hollywood age has become.

I'll leave you with a couple more of my favorite photos of the incomparable Ms. Rampling. I'd love to hear if you have a body image icon that's allowed you to appreciate your figure in a new way.

Wishing a happy 4th of July weekend to all my friends here in the States! I'm taking the day off on Monday, but I'll be back with more outfits on Tuesday.