Ellie Myers | Associate Editor
One of my favorite influential women (aside from Jane Austen) is Emma Thompson for her intent and thoughtful approach to acting. She puts so much time and effort into every role she takes and focuses more on the importance of her performance in the story she’s telling than the fame that accompanies her work.
Cambrea Schrank | Creative Director
My favorite influential woman is Mary Shelley. She wrote Frankenstein when she was only 18 years old. Shelley dealt with so much trauma and heartbreak in her lifetime: from losing her mother as an infant to experiencing the loss of her own children. She took all that hard-life stuff and wrote it into some of the most beautiful prose I’ve ever read. She challenged what it meant to be a female writer in the early 19th century. She is the inventor of the sci-fi genre. Her genius is still very much felt in the worlds of literature and popular culture.
Jade Ellis | Opinion and LOTB Editor
Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was an extremely influential women in the field of law and always stood up for what she believed to be right, just and fair.
Brianna Weil | Copy Editor
Some of my favorite influential women are Emma Watson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Malala Yousafzai because all three women made significant strides in the fight for women’s equality, education and empowerment. From the United Nations to the US Supreme Court to winning a Nobel Peace prize at just 17 years old, each of these women have had a profound impact in the world of activism, humanitarianism, justice and above all, women’s rights around the globe.
Kate Marlett | Copy Editor
Nichelle Nichols inspires me through her performance on “Star Trek” in the 1960s — an era where it was not common for women to be in positions of power. I admire her for being an inspiration to both myself as well as countless other women who reach for the stars.
I have also been greatly influenced by Betty White. I loved watching her on shows like “Golden Girls,” and her humor and genuine nature really inspired me. I strive to be charismatic, sociable and witty like she was. I admire both women greatly and they will always have a place in my heart.
Abby Aldinger | Reporter
Sylvia Plath, Audre Lorde, Amy Lowell, Zora Neale Hurston, Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Ntozake Shange, Maya Angelou, Octavia Butler, bell hooks, Jane Austen, Susan Sontag, N.K. Jemisin, Ursula LeGuin, Angela Davis, Louisa May Alcott, Greta Gerwig, Audrey Hepburn and Toni Morrison. These women have definitely been some of the most influential people within my educational and personal upbringing, and I am always excited to talk about their work with others as they played such monumental roles in the development of feminist theory, particularly as it coincides with race, sexuality, gender, literature and film.
Jules Elbert | Reporter
My mom and Jane Fonda.
Luke Swift | Reporter
Kathryn Bigelow, because she is the first woman to win best director at the Academy Awards for directing “The Hurt Locker.” Her films are incredibly honest in what they portray, and they could be confused with a male directors’ work, which is exactly what I think she goes for. She is just an awesome filmmaker.
Amy Coney Barrett, the most recently appointed Supreme Court justice under Donald Trump. She is not a graduate of an Ivy League school like her coworkers, which makes holding that title more attainable to people like me, and she balances everything that someone would like to have in life: a family, friends, hobbies and a successful career.
Dolly Parton, plain and simple: a country superstar and overall badass. She has done things most women wouldn’t dare do in the ’60s and ’70s and became incredibly successful, influential and likable. Across the political aisle people love her because she makes a point of being a powerful woman while also holding true to her country roots.
Frank Vazzano | Reporter
One of my favorite influential women is Marie Curie, who is famous for her research involving radioactive materials. In a time where female scientists were quite rare (early 20th century), her work was still groundbreaking, and she should be remembered by the science community for her sacrifices. Her biggest sacrifice was arguably her life, as it is believed she died from radiation from the materials she was studying in France.
My other notable submissions are two women from the band Heart: Ann and Nancy Wilson. These ladies are known for being a part of one of the greatest bands of all time, and to this day they stand out, because the rock business of their time (1970s) was extremely male dominated. Their legacy is remembered as being very influential for many later women of rock and even other music genres.