Hear that roar? It's the sound of voices rising and glass ceilings shattering all over the U.S. Women's issues have never made more headlines than in 2016. And no one has been louder in taking them on than these 16 pioneers. To celebrate their achievements is to encourage women everywhere to keep...making...noise.
Champion of Diversity: Misty COPELAND
What happens after you’re named the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater? You take flight as the lead in Swan Lake, you launch a clothing line for dancers of all body types, you create a Barbie cut from your curves. “We should allow the ballerina to evolve as our view of what an athlete is, what an artist is, and what beauty is evolves," says Misty. "Not everyone should have to look the same.”
Won't Stand for Stigmas: Demi LOVATO
From substance abuse to mental health issues, the 24-year-old singer embraces her struggles for what they are: human. And now she’s advocating that no one should have to apologize for their sexuality, either. “You don’t have to define people anymore," says Demi. "I think love is fluid, and so is attraction. It doesn’t matter what gender you are—love is love.”
RELATED: Demi Lovato Speaks Up About Living with Bipolar Disorder
Know What You Want to Watch: The Women of 'OUTLANDER'
(From left to right: Anne Kenney, Toni Graphia, Maril Davis)
Based on the book of the same title, Starz's Outlander follows a combat nurse's time-traveling adventures that leave her with two husbands in two different time periods. (Y'know, #otherworldlyproblems!) What truly sets the series apart is its focus on the female gaze: It’s his body that the camera lingers on and her pleasure that gets priority. The trio who bring this show to life reveal how everything that goes down in the writer’s room is really a reflection of what women crave in real life. “Yes, we give more opportunities to women," says the trio. "But we need also need to stop thinking women are better at the romantic sex stuff, and men are just great for the actions stuff…We have some guys who can write the emotional stuff and women who can write kick-ass action.”
Not Politics as Usual: Savannah GUTHRIE
In 2011, after about three years as NBC News White House correspondent, Savannah joined Today (as cohost and NBC News chief legal correspondent). She’s been all over this election cycle, co-anchoring conventions and putting candidates on the spot—as well as covering 2016’s most harrowing stories. “A little fear is good," she says. "A lot of fear is not, it’s suffocating. You have to remind yourself that you’ve done these things, and it’s turned out okay.”
Be Stronger Than Your Barriers: NADJA WEST
Now the U.S. Army Surgeon General, Nadja is the highest-ranking woman to graduate from West Point—and the U.S. Army's first female African American three-star general. Her accomplishments are exceeded only by her tally of awards and decorations. “We’ve had women graduate from Ranger School—I never thought I’d see that!—and go into the infantry, also unheard of," says Nadja. "The army has come a long way.”
Narrowing the Gender Gap: Geena DAVIS
A piddly 30 percent of films feature women in speaking roles. Now Geena’s leveraging her namesake institute on gender in media to spark awareness—and action. “There’s a tremendous lack of female CEOs, congresswomen, law partners, college professors, and board members in the real world, but in fiction it’s worse," says Geena. "There are so many female forensic scientist characters [on TV] that interest for women in that career has skyrocketed.”
RELATED: What Do All These Successful Women Have in Common?
Coming Back from Anything: Bethany HAMILTON
Since the age of 13, Bethany Hamilton has been known as “that shark-attack girl.” But make no mistake, Bethany is a grown-ass woman and a bomb-ass professional surfer. She also has a documentary, Surfs like a Girl, slated for spring 2017 release. “Not a lot of documentaries have been about female athletes [who are mothers], so I think it will be interesting for moms and young women to see that you can keep chasing your passions in life after you have a kid,” she says.
A Critical Mission: MONA HANNA-ATTISHA, M.D.
If you don’t recognize her name, you will her actions: This pediatrician went from sounding the alarm about lead contamination in Flint, Michigan's water supply to saving lives. Her journey wasn't easy: "When the entire state of Michigan is telling you you’re wrong, it’s hard not to second-guess yourself.” But now, Mona is directing the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a partnership between Michigan State University and Hurley Children's Hospital to continue caring for and monitoring Flint's youth.
Busting Stereotypes Like a Champ: Ibtihaj MUHAMMAD
U.S. Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad is one of the best fencers out there (ranked eighth in the world), but at the Olympics this summer, the buzz was as much about her wardrobe as her saber: she made history as the first American woman to compete while wearing a hijab, a traditional Muslim head scarf. “People will ask me, ‘Do you speak English? Where’s your family really from?’" says Ibtihaj. "And you want to say, ‘I’m telling you I’m American. What else can I do, draw blood for you right here?’…We as a country have to change, and I feel like this is our moment.”
Actress, Advocate, Queen of Inspiring Us to Embrace Every Ounce of Who We Are: Gina RODRIGUEZ
Gina was recently named a face of Clinique's Difference Makers campaign, aimed at encouraging women to make a difference in the world. “Don’t compare yourself to anyone," she tells us. "Anyone. Because no one is in your race. Stay in your lane, and do you…We live in a society, a culture, where it says not all of you can make it—only one of you can…that’s a false illusion. There’s space for all of us.”
RELATED: Gina Rodriguez Wants Women to Be Their Own Heroes
Never Censor Yourself: Samantha BEE
Her show’s name, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, can be taken quite literally: The satirist consistently puts crucial women’s issues front and center. Before the show aired, Samantha assembled a rarity in late-night: a diverse team of writers and talent (50 percent female, 30 percent non-white) through a partially blind application process. “We asked people to pitch stories that were interesting to them rather than what they thought would be interesting to me," says Samantha. "We ended up with people who have genuine passion, and they teach me new things all the time.”
Disrupting the Restaurant World: JESSAMYN RODRIGUEZ
In the notoriously male-dominated food industry, Jessamyn is helping hundreds of low-income, minority, and immigrant women realize their culinary dreams by offering paid, on-the-job training at her nonprofit bakery, Hot Bread Kitchen, in East Harlem, New York. “Many of these women are mothers; many are living in shelters or coming from situations of domestic violence or recent incarceration," says Jessamyn. "Paying them for their time makes our program accessible.”
Whether You're for Her or not...She's for You: Hillary CLINTON
Equal pay, paid leave, reproductive rights, human rights: Whether you're for her or not...she's for you. “We need a president who not only understands the complex challenges facing women in America but also has a real plan to confront those challenges," says Hillary. "That would change the game for women across the country.”
RELATED: Where Hillary Clinton Stands on All the Big Issues for Women
Our First Real Woman Game Changer: Emily NúñEZ CAVNESS
The words fashion and fighter aren’t usually paired on the average résumé. Then again, Emily is hardly average. Her two passions have merged as CEO and cofounder of Sword & Plough, which transforms military surplus into edgy bags and backpacks and donates to nonprofits that hire and support thousands of veterans. “I had seen how much military surplus is wasted, and I’d also met veterans worried about finding work back at home," she says.
From more inspiration from every woman featured here, pick up the October issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now.
This Game-Changing Woman Is Making A Huge Difference In The Lives Of Kids With Cancer
Meet 4 Incredible Women Who Are Truly Changing The Game
How Growing Up Hungry Inspired This Woman's Life Work
Meet The Record-Breaking Marathon Runner Who Just Happens To Be An Amputee