This article was published in April 2014.

Just this week one of our favourite actresses in history did two amazing things.

Firstly, she was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the Bloomington School, Indiana University in America.

Indianapolis Monthly, a local magazine reported that she was given the award for being a role model for women’s rights and social justice alongside her humanitarian work.

Then, secondly, she championed two incredible causes, female body image and ageing stereotypes.

She said, “I was always in plays, but I thought it was vain to be an actress, plus, I thought I was too ugly to be an actress. Glasses weren’t fabulous then.”

She also revealed in her speech that girls spend “way too much time” thinking about their weight and urged the female students in the audience to stop the bad body image cycle.

She also tackled the ageing stereotypes of women in the industry saying, “When I was 40, I was offered three witches in one summer. And I thought, ‘OK this is it, you turn 40 and all they have is witches and this shouldn’t happen.”

So, she didn’t stop battling and continued to take role after role finding major blockbuster hits in her 50s and still today in her mid 60s.

Meryl Streep, you’ve done it again!

She’s not only a talented and beautiful actress; she is also a kind heart and a genuine person.

She has had 18 Academy Award nominations across 35 years of acting and holds the current record as the most highly nominated actor (male or female) in film history.

Outside her acting career, her philanthropic work is in full force. She is a champion of women’s rights as the US National Women’s history Museum spokesperson and even donated her entire fee for her work in The Iron Lady as well as additional funds to the museum.

She is also an advocate for Gucci’s “Chime for Change” campaigns advocating female empowerment and has established and supports two annual scholarships for students majoring in English and Maths at the university of Massachusetts Lowell.

It’s not just her money she gives away; it’s her time, her efforts and her heart. Her passion for equality across all people, education and her acting make her one of the few genuine role models Hollywood has to offer these days.

But, where are the rest of the role models? The world has moved to place such a high importance on aesthetics not just in Hollywood but also all over the world. Sex and look sell and true talent and an appreciation for the things that matter in life have faded away.

We congratulate Meryl on her success in receiving the doctorate, and thank her for facing two of the biggest issues women (and men!) face in society today.

It is so great to have someone that still regards education, self-appreciation and real talent highly and we hope that there will be more women to follow.

What do you think makes a role model? Who do you think fits the bill today? Tell us in the comments below…