Jane Fonda says she has ''always had a good bum.''

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

The 'Youth' star said: ''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.''

The longtime fitness fanatic is still very body confident and loves showing off her curves.

She told the June/July issue of W magazine: ''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 bum, because I've always had a good bum.''

While she enjoys dressing up in designer clothes, Jane admits her ''relationship to fashion has always been strained.''

She explained: ''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.''