Top 10 Women Who Owned 2017
advertisement
VOICE OVER: JR
Script written by Tiffany Ezuma
These are the women who owned 2017. There's a reason why Taylor Swift made it to TIME magazine's cover this year. In addition to releasing new music this year she made a big splash with her case against a DJ for sexual harassment. This year is also to the women who came forward with their own sexual harassment stories. In addition we've got some inspiring women like Peggy Whitson, the oldest female astronaut at 57, Muzoon Almellehan, a champion for education, Maria Grazia Chiruri, the first female creative direction of Christian Dior in 70 years, Selena Gomez, who despite having gone a kidney transplant has released new music on top of hardship.
These are the women who owned 2017. There's a reason why Taylor Swift made it to TIME magazine's cover this year. In addition to releasing new music this year she made a big splash with her case against a DJ for sexual harassment. This year is also to the women who came forward with their own sexual harassment stories. In addition we've got some inspiring women like Peggy Whitson, the oldest female astronaut at 57, Muzoon Almellehan, a champion for education, Maria Grazia Chiruri, the first female creative direction of Christian Dior in 70 years, Selena Gomez, who despite having gone a kidney transplant has released new music on top of hardship.
0
#10: Selena Gomez
Known for being a talented entertainer, this year Selena continued to show the world why she’s a role model. Since being diagnosed with lupus a few years ago, Selena has shared her journey of her health and recovery. She’s always been honest with her fans and this year she shared that she underwent a kidney transplant over the summer due to her illness causing her organs to fail. Selena kept quiet about her operation at the time, but she still managed to release new music like “Bad Liar” and helped promote “13 Reasons Why,” the hit Netflix show she produced. She was also named Billboard’s “Woman of the Year,” an honor to top off what was a life-changing year for the singer.
…
0
#9: Maria Grazia Chiuri
While she may not be a household name yet, Maria is making waves in the fashion world as the first female creative director of Christian Dior in the fashion house’s 70-year history. After her promotion, she only had five weeks to put together her first collection, but that didn’t stop her from making a bold statement with their now iconic, “We Should All Be Feminists” t-shirts. The quote comes from writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s Ted Talk and Maria’s vision to put it on a t-shirt captured the zeitgeist and spirit of 2017 in the perfect way.
0
#8: Muzoon Almellehan
Dubbed the “Malala of Syria,” Muzoon is an outspoken activist for refugees at a time where we desperately need it. After half the girls in her class at her refugee school were married off early instead of being able to complete their education, she began to advocate for the equality and education of women in her country and around the world. Her work caught the attention of Goodwill and she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador, making her the youngest person to receive the honor at only 19-years-old. Since then, she’s continued with speech engagements, advocacy trips, and a TedxTeen talk.
0
#7: Peggy Whitson
American astronaut Peggy Whitson has proven that there are no limits for what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. Throughout her career, the astronaut, who’s also a biochemist, has completed the most spacewalks by a female astronaut, became the first woman to command the International Space Station, and now holds the record as the American who’s spent the longest time in space with an accumulated 665 days. Her last mission lasted 288 days, and she came back to Earth in September. She’s also the oldest female astronaut at 57 but she shows no signs of slowing down. It’s no wonder her colleagues call her the “American Space Ninja.”
0
#6: Elizabeth Warren
As the first female senator of Massachusetts and a progressive liberal, Elizabeth Warren has become one of the faces of the U.S. Democratic Party. Her status as a liberal and feminist icon was cemented this year after she was stopped from speaking out against Jeff Sessions’ appointment as the U.S. Attorney General. On the Senate floor, she attempted to read a letter Coretta Scott King had written about Sessions’ troubling civil rights record but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped her from reading it on the floor. In explaining why he kicked her out he said, “nevertheless, she persisted,” which has now become a feminist rallying cry and a testament to her strength and resistance.
0
#5: Lena Waithe
Writer and actress Lena Waithe has had a stellar 2017. The 33-year-old broke records when she became the first African-American woman to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series with the “Thanksgiving” episode she co-wrote with Aziz Ansari for the second season of “Master of None.” Her win was even more important since she’s the only black woman who’s ever even been nominated for the honor. The episode was a personal project for her, a semi-autobiographical account of her coming out experience. We can’t wait to see what she does next and we’ll definitely be tuning into her new show, “The Chi,” which premieres in 2018.
…
0
#4: Serena Williams
It’s undeniable that Serena is one of the greatest athletes of all-time. She’s proved time and time again not to doubt, but her win of the 2017 Australian Open is even more incredible when you consider the fact that she was around 8 weeks pregnant at the time of the match. The win against her sister Venus, made it her 7th Australian Open title and 72nd career title. She won both on the court and off, with the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. and her star-studded wedding to Reddit Co-Founder, Alexis Ohanian.
0
#3: Gal Gadot
Israeli actress Gal Gadot has become the embodiment of what it means to be an empowered female with her role in the smash hit, “Wonder Woman.” A lot was riding on this film, since it was the first female-led superhero film in over a decade. But with Patty Jenkins behind the camera, they proved that female led action movies could make money since it made a whopping $821 million. Gal proved that she believes in the same ideals as Wonder Woman off-screen, since she threatened to walk out of the sequel if producer Brett Ratner, who was accused of sexual harassment, was still attached to the project. Her tactic worked and she’s become a role model for girls everywhere.
0
#2: Taylor Swift
After more than a year out of the public eye, Taylor returned in 2017 with a vengeance. With a darker look and sexier sound, Taylor released her sixth studio album, Reputation, to mass fanfare. The lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” broke records, including the most first-day streams on Spotify and the most first-day views on Vevo. The album is filled with bold songs like “I Did Something Bad,” which have lyrics about Taylor taking back her image from the media, ex-boyfriends, and her celebrity foes. She’s controlled her own narrative and sold 1.2 million copies in the first week, making her first artist to have four albums achieve the one million mark in its debut week.
…
Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
Rihanna
Demi Lovato
Nicole Kidman
0
#1: All the Women Stepping Forward About Sexual Harassment & Assault
In the same year that started with Women’s March, it’s fitting that we’re ending it with women breaking their silence about sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. From Hollywood to Fox News to Silicon Valley, we’ve heard countless stories of women speaking out against harassment from powerful men like Harvey Weinstein, Roger Ailes, Louis C.K. Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer. While the accusations range from verbal abuse to rape, none of it is okay. Women have inspired each other to speak out with the #MeToo movement, and we’re finally having an honest conversation about the issue. We may not know all of their names and faces, but now we know their stories.
…
