I’ve made no bones about it: I kind of want to be Helen Mirren when I grow up.

She’s talented, funny, fierce, intelligent, and downright sexy at any age. Plus, she’s a feminist and doesn’t have any problem saying so. She has a successful career in a male-dominated industry that has a history of discriminating against female actors, particularly as they age. She’s spoken out against sexism in Hollywood and is a strong proponent of women’s rights.

Recently, I watched the movie “Collateral Beauty” for the 10th time and was reminded of just how powerful a presence she has on screen—and from all appearances—in real life as well.

We need powerful, independent, fierce women in our lives and, as a woman raising a daughter, we also need amazing role models.

Here are 10 quotes that prove that she’s a total bad*ss and an awesome role model for women everywhere:

“I don’t think there’s anything on this planet that more trumpets life than the sunflower. For me that’s because of the reason behind its name. Not because it looks like the sun but because it follows the sun. During the course of the day, the head tracks the journey of the sun across the sky. A satellite dish for sunshine. Wherever light is, no matter how weak, these flowers will find it. And that’s such an admirable thing. And such a lesson in life.”

“I don’t mind being sexy, but on my terms. To this day, I love sexuality. I love the art of sexuality. I love Lady Gaga and the performance of sexuality. The mysterious, the artistic, and the slightly perverse. I’m interested in all that.”

“I think every woman in our culture is a feminist. They may refuse to articulate it, but if you were to take any woman back 40 years and say, ‘Is this a world you want to live in?’ They would say, ‘No.'”

“Fear can be one of the most destructive emotions. It is, of course, also very important, in that fear sometimes stops you from doing stupid things. But it can also stop you from doing creative or exciting or experimental things. It can cloud your judgement of others, and lead to all kinds of evil. The control and understanding of our personal fears is one of the most important undertakings of our lives.”

“Women are always self-effacing and self-denying. There’s a term that enrages me, and I always used to swear that I’d never play characters described that way. The term is ‘long-suffering.'”

“Women have to stop being polite. If I ever had children, which I don’t, the first thing I’d teach a girl of mine is the words ‘f*ck off.'”

“Being powerful is much more interesting than being beautiful.”

“You can’t control how other people see you or think of you. But you have to be comfortable with that.”

“I’m a would-be rebel. The good girl who’d like to be a bad one.”

“I have come to understand that feminism is not an abstract idea but it’s a necessity if we—and really by ‘we,’ I mean you guys—are to move us forward and not backward into ignorance and fearful jealousy. So now, I am a declared feminist and I would encourage you to be the same.”

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Need further proof? Just check out these videos of Helen Mirren:

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Here’s to strong women, and to Dame Helen Mirren who is an inspiration to us all!

“To strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” ~ Unknown

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Author: Crystal Jackson
Image: YouTube
Editor: Lieselle Davidson
Copy Editor: Travis May
Social Editor: Caitlin Oriel