Jane Fonda praises her derriere

Los Angeles: Actress Jane Fonda says she has "always had a good b**".

The 77-year-old actress finds it hilarious that people still consider her to be a fashion icon, but she is embracing the opportunity to give "a cultural face to older women".

"I think it's a hoot that, at my age, people are calling me a fashion icon. I realised I didn't have a lot of time left, and I wanted to pay more attention. I had a vision: I wanted to give a cultural face to older women," she told W magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"I suppose I've always known what I like on my body. I took one look at that Balmain jumpsuit (from her 1968 film 'Barbarella'), and I said, 'That's it.' I'm best when I'm wearing something structured, with no frills or bows. Something that will show my waist and b**, because I've always had a good b**," she added.

While she enjoys dressing up in designer clothes, Fonda admits her relationship with fashion has always been strained.

"When I was starting out as an actress in New York, I worked as a model because I needed to pay for acting classes. But I didn't have what it took to be a model. I hated all the emphasis on how I looked, and I never paid much attention to clothes," she said.