My Celebrity Crush on Golda Meir

Timed close to Valentine’s Day the subject of this blog hop for GenFab is ‘Favorite Celebrity Crush’. Growing up I had a neighbor I walked with to grade school and junior high. She subscribed to various teen magazines and spent our entire walks telling me the virtues, activities, and romances of celebrities.

I accepted she was an authority because she read nothing but teen magazines. I learned about the Beatles, the Stones, the Monkeys, and Herman’s Hermits in particular. I agreed Paul was cuter than Mick and really the Hermits and the Monkeys were not in the same class. There was also discussion about the guys on My 3 Sons, Leave it to Beaver, Dobie Gillis, Gilligan’s Island, Bonanza, Wagon Train, Maverick and Paladin. I can see my 12-year-old self just nodding as my neighbor talked.

 I learned that teen magazines want girls to fall in and out of love with the hottest celebrities yet I personally never formed a real crush. Heartthrob crushes on celebrities just didn’t do it for me. I had another type of celebrity crush. I had a celebrity/admiration crush on Golda Meir!

By the time she became the 4th prime minister of Israel in 1969, I knew everything about the woman. She is the only celebrity that I can easily say I read everything in the papers, magazines or watched on TV. Golda was a great woman role model when there weren’t many. Yes I referred to her by her first name like we were friends, a real sign of a celebrity crush.

 When I left for college, Golda had left office. My admiration continued and I had her poster on my wall. The famous poster of this powerful, important woman with the question posed by her image, “But can she type?” What would make a tween chose Golda Meir over Paul McCartney? Golda was not famous for her singing, beauty or husband. She was a woman of power in her own right. I loved that. I am proud to admit Golda Meir has always been my favorite celebrity crush!