The Golden Age Of ITA
The Australian Women's Weekly|April 2019

Despite a 60-year media career, Ita Buttrose’s greatest challenge may yet lie ahead of her. She talks to Genevieve Gannon about the importance of role models, and self-belief.

Genevieve Gannon
The Golden Age Of ITA

The pearls in Ita Buttrose’s earrings are catching the afternoon light as she gazes across the turquoise vista of Sydney Harbour and makes a shocking pronouncement: “I’ve taken on jobs sometimes when I’ve thought, what have I done?” She mimes fear and there’s a moment of surprise in the hotel room before she continues: “But then I’ve always had this belief that I would be able to do it. Always.” And order is restored.

The former editor’s accomplishments are well documented. She has been canonised by Cold Chisel and dramatised on TV. Now the paper giant has become a plastic miniature. Ita Buttrose has been turned into a Barbie. The 28 centimetres of rubber, with Ita’s signature bob and pointed black heels, sits on a table by the harbour view, and stands as a testament to what an important figure Ita is. And though the face of the Ita “Shero” doll has Barbie’s stock features, there’s something about her, and the tiny newspaper poking out of her handbag, that does capture that distinct Ita panache.

“I’m really thrilled,” the former editor of The Weekly says, admiring the figurine made in her image, to her specifications. “I’ve done a lot in my life but I’ve never imagined being a Barbie doll.”

Barbie is a toy with a chequered record on women’s empowerment, but the “Shero” 2019 line, in which the Ita Barbie represents Australia alongside more than 20 other inspiring women across the globe, is part of its creators’ multi-pronged bid to be more inclusive. The woman who used Bingo to increase The Sunday Telegraph’s circulation knows the value of populist methods for delivering a message which, in this case, is that girls can grow up to be anything.

Denne historien er fra April 2019-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 2019-utgaven av The Australian Women's Weekly.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLYSe alt
Hitting a nerve
The Australian Women's Weekly

Hitting a nerve

Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024
Take me to the river
The Australian Women's Weekly

Take me to the river

With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.

time-read
4 mins  |
July 2024
The last act
The Australian Women's Weekly

The last act

When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2024
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
The Australian Women's Weekly

MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN

When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2024
The wines and lines mums
The Australian Women's Weekly

The wines and lines mums

Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.

time-read
10 mins  |
July 2024
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
The Australian Women's Weekly

Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?

Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2024
Growing happiness
The Australian Women's Weekly

Growing happiness

Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy

time-read
8 mins  |
July 2024
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
The Australian Women's Weekly

"Thank God we make each other laugh"

A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:

time-read
7 mins  |
July 2024
Winter baking with apples and pears
The Australian Women's Weekly

Winter baking with apples and pears

Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.

time-read
10+ mins  |
July 2024
Budget dinner winners
The Australian Women's Weekly

Budget dinner winners

Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.

time-read
5 mins  |
July 2024