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Worried You've Done Nothing with Your Life? These 7 Women Weren't Successful Until After Age 40

From Julia Child to Martha Stewart

So, you still haven’t finished your Great American Novel or launched your start-up or invented that self-cleaning vacuum. Cut yourself some slack! Here, seven ladies who didn’t hit it big until after age 40.

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Martha Stewart

The crafting and media maven launched her catering biz in the late '70s, but didn’t hit it big until she published her first book in 1998, when she was 57.

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Vogue

Vera Wang

The designer and wedding dress wonder woman was 40 (ancient by fashion industry standards) when she came on the scene. Before that, she was a professional figure skater, which may or may not have informed her love of white tulle.

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Julia Child

Guys, she didn’t even write her first cookbook until she was 50.

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Betty White

Thank goodness she joined the cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show when she was 51 because, well, we don’t want to imagine a world without Rose Nylund.

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Lucille Ball

Yep, the first episode of I Love Lucy aired when Lucy was already 40 years old.

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Laura Ingalls Wilder

But the hell with 40. Frontierswoman Laura Ingalls Wilder was 65 when she penned Little House on the Prairie.

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Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Susan Boyle

She dreamed a dream. She was 48. That is all.


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Lousy baker, stellar shopping buddy

You can find Susan either blissfully buried in a pile of clothes or on a plane between L.A. and NYC.