IT’S BEEN THIS way for years. When people find out what I do for a living, they sidle up to me and whisper this question: “What is _______ [insert name of chosen celebrity] really like?” And they are always surprised by my answer: Most celebs are nothing like what you see onscreen. (That’s because most of them do what their profession says they should do: act.) In fact, some performers’ friends will tell you their famous pal is the antithesis of his or her public image.* At our Reinvention Convention in Los Angeles in May, I might have been the only one who wasn’t surprised by what keynote speaker Malaak Compton-Rock said about her husband. She’s married to the brilliant comedian Chris Rock, a man who makes me laugh so hard I weep. Yet according to his wife, in real life he is quiet and painfully shy. “At a dinner party,” she warned, “you want to sit next to me!”

Though a certain amount of celebrity adds a glam factor to any product, I think the pendulum is finally starting to swing back to the center. Real women—and I don’t mean reality-show freaks—are once again being recognized as inspirational. At More we search out the most impressive women we can find and bring you their stories. One example: our new back page, Hire Calling. In this yearlong series, we will profile smart, effective women who have dedicated themselves to putting other women to work, both in the U.S. and abroad. Since we believe that every woman who wants a job should be able to find one (now, that would be an economic recovery), we want to celebrate women who help make that happen. Between now and next summer we’ll introduce you to 10 of them; then I’ll ask each of you to go online and vote for the person whose company or organization most deserves to win our new Job Genius Award—a $20,000 donation from More to help fund the good work.

In the meantime, if you know of a terrific, enterprising woman who should be featured in this contest, please let us know at more@meredith.com (please put “Hire Calling” in the subject line).

*SOME STARS WHO REALLY ARE THE WAY THEY SEEM
Drew Barrymore
After once traveling with her through the slums of Kenya, I was in awe. The HIV-infected kids we met had no idea who she was; they were just smitten by her warmth.

Jamie Lee Curtis
This woman actually made me cry as I shared stories about my mother over the phone.

Rita Wilson
She has an irresistibly down-to-earth quality that makes me admire whatever she does.

Meet Julie Castro Abrams, our first job genius to be featured on our backpage in Hire Calling.

Read Lesley's editor's letter from last month.

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