With honorees ranging from musicians to scientists to athletes, Glamour has been recognizing the incredibly powerful, influential, and brave women making an impact in our world for over 30 years. Here’s a look at five of the women to earn the distinguished award in 2022.
- Angela Bassett
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A Hollywood veteran of over three decades, Angela Bassett is arguably best known recently for her role in the Black Panther movie franchise but is a force in the world of biographical filmmaking. Nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It, along with taking home the Emmy for the same role, reading Glamour’s segment on the actress was inspiring, to say the least.
“If you’re gonna do something, you do it right. You do it excellently”
Bassett recalls this statement her mother would proclaim frequently. Its eloquence lies in its simplicity: setting your work and achievement to a higher standard and accepting nothing less. This mindset is clearly embedded in everything Angela Bassett sets her eyes on. It is no accident that every project she touches essentially turns into gold within the box office, the industry, and the critics.
- Dr. Rebecca Gomperts
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On the display of the Glamour website, we see Dr. Rebecca Gomperts in full glam, donned in ornate pearl earrings and accessories. When clicking on the link to her feature, we see her in her element — in her medical office in Amsterdam.
A trailblazer in the field, Glamour magazine explains Dr. Rebecca Gomperts’s organization that delivers medication abortions to those in need directly to their home in discrete packaging. This work in a post-Roe v. Wade world has been deemed essential, but this reality has been known to Dr. Gomperts long before any Supreme Court decision.
Starting her organization and website, Women on Waves, she has provided her expertise, compassion, and spirit to patients for over 30 years.
- Jennifer Hudson
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Jennifer Hudson Has Always Been the Winner.
The title of her Glamour feature encapsulates it perfectly. Jennifer Hudson is one of only 17 people ever to join the distinguished EGOT club, becoming the youngest woman to do so.
Hudson discusses her humble beginnings as a Disney cruise singer, her American Idol stint (that ended far too soon), and her journey through motherhood. Her vast life experience and ambitious drive throughout her career resonate through the text and it is definitely worth reading.
- Shannon Watts
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Like most of us, Shannon Watts is sick and tired of gun violence.
Watts was called to action after the tragic events of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting in 2014. Unable to go through life normally in the following days, she couldn’t get the thoughts of the students and their families off of her mind. This is when her organization Moms Demand Action was created and began gaining traction on Facebook. Encouraging companies like Target and Starbucks to change gun policies in their own stores started a chain reaction leading to state legislature changes in Maryland — all in their first year of the organization’s existence.
Overall, the biggest takeaway as a reader is Watt’s overwhelming call for other women to get involved in the conversation. The term she coined, “MOMentum” reminds us that women make up a voting majority and can come together to emphasize important issues: such as keeping their children safe.
- Haim
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Before encountering Glamour magazine’s spread about these fantastic women, I had already been well acquainted with Haim. With them being one of my favorite bands and looking up to all three sisters as role models for several years, I was ecstatic to see them getting the recognition they deserve.
If you are unfamiliar with the group, the band consists of three sisters: Alana, Danielle, and Este Haim.
The trio performs as a rock group and has released three studio albums to date. The interview, conducted by comedy legend Maya Rudolph, ranges in topics from growing up in the Haim household to their bond as sisters to facing sexism in the genre of rock and roll.
If you love rock music, or even just really cool, creative, young women, check out this Glamour article (and also their discography in general).
These seven inspiring, hardworking, and intelligent women are pioneers in their respective fields. In this exciting, treacherous, and yet optimistic time for women’s rights, these women light the way for all those who follow in their footsteps.
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