The 2009 TIME 100

Everything about Stella McCartney is authentic. Her red hair is her own. She has real guts. She means what she says. Sometimes it's even a bit scary: she somehow works tirelessly to create the chic looks that have made her a fashion icon and yet still manages to be home with her three beautiful children at the same time. She laughs really hard. And she is a vegetarian. I mention this because you cannot accurately characterize Stella McCartney, 37, without underlining that she is a vegetarian. Always has been. And even if you are not interested in being a vegetarian, somehow Stella gets you to believe. She manages to convince you (never sanctimoniously, never from a soapbox) that killing animals is needless and cruel and bad for the environment. It may last the duration of just one dinner, but you start to feel a bit sad for your neighbor's lamb and a bit embarrassed by your chicken.

Stella is an uncanny mélange of passion and cool, and that is her deadly weapon. She will win you over. And what better way to do it than to make her commerce friendly to man, mouse and Mother Earth alike? She puts her money where her mouth is. Did you know your superchic Stella handbag is vegan? How about the shoes? Maybe that's why you bought them, maybe not. It's still cool. Of course it is — it's Stella.

Paltrow is an Oscar-winning actress and the founder of goop.com