At the end of 2012 we were overloaded by articles declaring that there is a new crop of people we must watch out for throughout 2013. In the world of media there is a very low boredom threshold, and so every year there is a habit of ‘out with the old and in with the new’. However, there’s a trend in that many of the apparently new, “unheard” of talents are in fact totally “heard” of. Many of the stars hailed as ‘new wave’ are decended from people who are worldwide stars already. Do they really deserve the title of fresh, hardworking, original young faces when they have inherited their fame? Should magazines and newspapers really credit these offspring with surnames like Lennox, Le Bon, Coppola and Schwarzenegger or instead focus on truly new talents; people that represent effort and individual perseverance that have succeeded in their own right?
There are of course exceptions to this generalisation and it is important to remember that the challenge of gaining recognition in the media and entertainment business is particularly hard. So, gaining praise for your work and creativity perhaps isn’t wrong no matter the surname, but comparing them with others who have far fewer connections, opportunities and resources could be considered unfair. On this note, HCX has gathered a few names of people who have nurtured their skills and truly worked hard to carve a name for themselves in the competitive industries they are part of. Here are five women to watch in 2013.
1. Andrea Leadsom: The Tory MP for South Northamptonshire. As a woman she has carved a highly successful career in the City and is now utilising that in politics, as part of the Treasury Select Committee. She is also expanding her own charity helping mothers and young mums as well as representing the opt-out option for EU laws and regulations.
2. Rebel Wilson: All of us will surely recognise her from Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect as one of the funniest new faces in film. There is more to come as she defies the rule of being “Hollywood good looking” to take over our screens with self-penned ‘Super-Fun Night’ for ABC as well as hosting the MTV Movie Awards.
3. Marissa Mayer: Her name may not be instantly familiar but as of 2012 she is now the CEO of Yahoo at the age of 37. Almost frustratingly successful, she was the first female engineer at Google in 1999, invests in a variety of fledgling technology companies and sits on several non-profit boards.
4. Zawe Ashton: For a lot of us who have been watching Fresh Meat, her character, Vod, is the stand-out eccentric that brings in the laughs. She seems hugely talented with writing credits, serious drama and comedy under her belt and ambitions for the future include directing.
5. Savages: This 4-piece female band has been spotted in a variety of articles and blogs for being surprising, intense and brave in their anti-magazine/glamour image. Slipping into the post-punk genre, they are not the classic Timepiece DJ’s selection but we should expect to hear and see a lot of them in 2012, as they interrupt the Top 40.
Image Credits: bbc.co.uk, guardian.co.uk, vanityfair.com