Life

Revolutionaries to supernovas: Glamour names women of 2017

October 30, 2017

NEW YORK - It's been one epic year for women, a notion definitely not lost on Glamour magazine as it named U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, 27 key facilitators of the Women's March on Washington and astronaut Peggy Whitson among its women of the year from the worlds of politics, entertainment, fashion, business and more.

The other winners announced Monday, ahead of a Nov. 13 gala in Brooklyn, New York, are actor Nicole Kidman, singer Solange Knowles, Syrian refugee Muzoon Almellehan, late-night TV host Samantha Bee, supermodel Gigi Hadid, Dior's first female creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, and "Wonder Woman" helmswoman Patty Jenkins.

Cindi Leive, Glamour's editor-in-chief, called them "wildly diverse changemakers" who reflect this "tumultuous and electric year for women." All will be on hand for the magazine's annual awards night, with a summit featuring Chelsea Clinton, Laverne Cox, Cecile Richards and other past winners planned for earlier the same day.

This year's honorees will be featured on multiple Glamour covers and in a spread for December.

A look at some in the Class of 2017:

THE REVOLUTIONARIES

Listening especially to the strong voices of young women after Hillary Clinton's popular vote win but Electoral College loss to Donald Trump, Glamour called the impact of the Women's March massive, along with an outpouring around the globe.

"Vastly more women turned out for the march, not just in Washington but the marches around the world, than anyone expected," Leive said in a recent interview. "There were so many hundreds of women who were involved in the organization and planning of these marches, but 27 key leaders and organizers really devoted the lion's share of their time between Election Day and Inauguration Day."

In all, an estimated half a million made their way to Washington, where maybe 200,000 had been expected, and 5 million more gathered everywhere from Australia to Antarctica.

GIGI THE SUPERNOVA

The first time Gigi Hadid bubbled to the surface was on the reality show "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Modeling since she was around 3, she went from a Guess campaign at 17 to supermodel five years later, racking up numerous magazine covers, editorial gigs and runway shows, along with a fashion collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger and an upcoming cosmetics collection with Maybelline.

As Glamour writes, Hadid didn't just take off, "she took over."

At 22, Hadid has a 36-million strong following on Instagram and a megaplatform that could easily have been wasted. Instead, she has spoken out about gun control and marched with sister Bella to protest Trump's signing of an executive order that suspended immigration to the U.S. from seven Muslim countries.

Their father, real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, was born in Palestine and their mother, Yolanda Hadid, emigrated from Holland in her teens.

SOLANGE BREAKS IT OPEN

With a Grammy win and a groundbreaking album, "A Seat at the Table," Knowles is living her truth in abundance. The record, released late last year, takes on some key issues: racism, cultural appropriation, activism and empowerment among them.

"She's such a fantastic and inspiring example of somebody who has always chosen not to do things the easy way," Leive said. "Her sister is Beyonce. She could have become a pop star in any number of ways but she decided to really focus on her own personal vision of art." - AP


October 30, 2017
494 views
HIGHLIGHTS
Life
8 days ago

Jordan's Crown Prince and Princess Rajwa expecting first child this Summer

Life
16 days ago

K-pop star Karina and actor Lee Jae-wook split shortly after going public

Life
20 days ago

Oscar-winning star Louis Gossett Jr. dead at 87