Madonna, Berry Lead the Charge of 40+ Stars

Scar-Jo? Oh, no. Tough luck, Tila Tequila. Megan Fox? Meh.

Halle Berry and Madonna are two female stars proving careers don't end at 40. Berry was named Esquire magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive" in the November issue.

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Halle Berry blew 'em all out of the water, scoring the coveted title of Esquire magazine's "Sexiest Woman Alive" in the November issue. At 42, with a baby under her belt and an Oscar on her mantel, she manages to eclipse starlets nearly half her age, and even she seems surprised.

"I've been in the business for more than 20 years, and you decide now, at this particular time, that I'm the sexiest woman alive? Come on. I mean, you couldn't go with the Bond-girl year?" she says in Esquire.

Apparently, age has given Berry the opportunity to reflect on what's really sexy. Hint: It's not made of silicone, and it can't be bought at Victoria's Secret.

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"I know damned well I'm sexier now than I used to be," she says. "Let me make an argument here -- not so much for me, or even for my age being sexy but for what I've learned. I've picked up a little over the years. Sexy is not about wearing sexy clothes or shaking your booty until you damn near get hip dysplasia; it's about knowing that sexiness is a state of mind -- a comfortable state of being."

The conventional wisdom in Hollywood has long been that by 40 an actress, musician or model has reached her expiration date and can kiss her career goodbye.

But along with Berry, the original supermodels of the '80s and '90s -- Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer -- and 40-something actresses like Brooke Shields, Mary-Louise Parker and Debra Messing are challenging that notion by continuing to work on major advertising campaigns and hit television shows.

"Women in their 40s are here and they're not going anywhere," said Albert Lee, a senior editor at Us Weekly magazine. "In politics, media and fashion, everyone is finally waking up to this sleeping giant demographic. These are the women at the hub of our culture."

Among the celebrities who have joined Club 40 are Courtney Cox, Vanessa Williams, Nicole Kidman and Janet Jackson. And with some notable exceptions, a lot of these women seem to be aging gracefully, without overdoing the Botox.