British GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards.

A while ago Glamour magazine celebrated its 20th anniversary for the Women of the Year Awards. Due to the pandemic, the awards ceremony was streamed virtually and presented by comedian Katherine Ryan who was looking sensational.

The prestigious awards recognise inspirational women across all industries: music, acting, politics, tech and sport, also including 1 male of the year award.  This year Glamour focused on Gamechangers and women that have made an impact on the world in the past year. 

The Winners.

• New Gen Gamechanger: Yara Shardiri – American actress, model and activist. Yara won the award for using her voice to raise awareness of racism, gun crime and encouraging young people to vote. Yara’s breakout role was in 2014 when she landed the role of Zoey in the sitcom Black-ish. 

• Beauty Gamechanger: Millie Bobbi Brown –  British actress and star of Netflix show Stranger Things. Millie created her clean beauty range, Florence by Mills, that is non-toxic, sustainable, vegan and cruelty-free.  Millie is also UNICEF’s youngest Goodwill Ambassador. 

• Gamechanging Model: Ellie Goldstein – British model with downs syndrome, Ellie has worked with brands such as Nike, Vodafone, Superdrug and Gucci. She is definitely one to watch in 2021. 

• Gamechanger Rising Star: Lydia West – Best known for her role as Jill Baxter in It’s a Sin, British actress Lydia has continued to represent the allyships for the LGBTQ+ community and raise awareness for HIV and Aids Charities. 

• Gamechanging Charity: Black Minds Matter – BMM co-founders Agnes Mwakatuma and Annie Nash started the charity to connect black people to free mental health services. 

• Gamechanging Influencer: Monroe Bergdorf – Model and activist for the transgender community. Munroe has been appointed Un Women UK Gamechanger and is on the L’Oréal Paris Board for Diversity and Inclusion. 

• Gamechanging Creator: Awkwafina – Awkwafina is an American Actress, comedian, internet personality, rapper, author and tv host. She has starred in Crazy, Rich Asians, Raya the Last Dragon and Farewell where she was the first Asian woman to win a Golden Globe for best actress. 

• Gamechanging Author: Bernardine Evaristo –  In 2019 Bernardine was the first black woman to win The Booker Prize for her novel Girl, Woman, Other. She is also an advocate for diversity and inclusion. 

• Gamechanging Man: Marcus Rashford – Marcus plays football for Manchester United. The COVID-19 pandemic caused school closures meaning many children would lose out on free school meals. Marcus fought the Uk government and campaigned for them to provide vouchers for free school meals. 

• Entrepreneurial Gamechanger: Huda Kattan – If you haven’t heard of Huda Kattan then where on earth have you been? The businesswoman and make-up artist launched her cosmetics range in 2013. She has since been named one of the “The 25 Most Influential People on the Planet” by Time Magazine. 

• Mental Health Gamechanger: Frankie Bridge – Singer from the British girl band The Saturdays, Frankie talked to GLAMOUR about her mental health issues in 2012 when there weren’t many people talking about mental health. In 2020 she released her first book Open: Why asking for help could save your life, a Sunday Times Bestseller. 

• Justice Gamchanger: Amika George – The British Activist campaigned for Free Periods. Amika was inspired to fight for free periods after she read an article about girls missing school because they could not afford sanitary products. The English government has now made sanitary products available to secondary schools.

• Sports Gamechanger: Naomi Osaka – Dubbed the new Serna Williams. Japanese Professional Tennis player Naomi was the first Asian women to hold the top rank in singles competition. She is 4 times Grand Slam Singles Champion and the highest-earning female athlete in the world last year. 

• Technology Gamechanger: Tania Boler – British Founder of Elvie develops tech specifically for women. Tania created the wearable hands-free breast pump and the award-winning Kegal Trainer for strong pelvic floors.  

• Fashion Gamechanger: Victoria Beckham – British Singer/Fashion designer also known as Posh Spice has spent 30 years in the business, curating her luxury designer clothing range for women and more recently launching her own beauty range. 

• Wellness Gamechanger: Miranda Kerr – Australian Model and Businesswoman, Miranda created Kora Organics. A certified organic, non-toxic no artificial fragrance, no artificial colours, no GMOs and cruelty-free wellness range. 

• Gamechahnging Actor: Priyanka Chopra Jonas – Indian actress, singer and film producer. Priyanka made the move from Bollywood to Hollywood. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for her work in helping children in India and she is an activist for  women’s rights. 

• Environmental Gamechanger: Dame Vivienne Westwood – Known for her eccentric Punk style and New Wave designs. English Fashion Designer, Dame Vivienne os an environmentalist that fights for friends of the earth and war child. 

• Gamechangers in Music: Little Mix – The first Band to win x-factor back in 2011. The band consists of Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirwall and Leigh-Ann Pinnock (Jesy Nelson left in Dec 2020). The girls often talk about issues that matter today, such as mental health, racism and feminism. 

• Gamechanging Icon: Kylie Minogue – The Princess of pop Kylie is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress. Kylie has spent 5 decades in the industry, she is an ambassador for Breast Cancer awareness and the LGQBT+ community. 

There was a Special Gamechanger Award that was presented to 3 women: Carol Galvin, Geobina George and Laura Norman for fighting on the frontline for the NHS (National Helth Service). The Award was to recognise the incredible work they have done throughout the Pandemic.

By: Natalie Dixon