In 2016, some pretty badass women did some pretty badass things. As the years go by, the female population just seem to be getting, generally, more confident, successful, and one step closer to gender equality (although there is still a long way to go with that one but we aren't going to talk about that right now although I would VERY MUCH LIKE GENDER EQUALITY PLEASE THANK YOU).
All women deserve to be celebrated in their own right, however, in this blog post, I want to highlight the ladies in the spotlight who had pretty damn good years. All of these women, apart from being painfully gorgeous, really stepped up their game this year. Some of them really had their voices heard, some of them inspired others, some of them turned their lives around for the better and some of them really jumped up the career ladder, so, I reckon they deserve to be recognised, especially seeing as though girl power is one of my favourite things, like, EVER.
So, I'll stop rambling now so we can all just stop for a second to be in awe of some of my women of 2016.
Emily Ratajkowski
I think a lot of people will agree with me when I say that I'm a little bit in love with Emily Ratajkowski. She's hot for one but, more than that, she's a woman who knows exactly what she's talking about and who isn't afraid to speak her mind, especially when it comes to equality for women. I love the fact that she's all about body confidence, celebrating yourself and being who you want to be and she certainly showed those things this year through her Instagram snaps. She also had a brilliant 2016 career wise, appearing on the covers of magazines such as Vogue, Glamour and GQ, as well as performing a few acting roles. One thing which Emily did this year that really sticks out is the fact that she gave a voice to other women by using her platform to write essays about sexuality and the pressure women face to fit into a certain mould. She spoke about how she finds self-empowerment in expressing her body and how women are often shamed for expressing their sexuality. She also spoke tirelessly about how women should be allowed the freedom to showcase their bodies however they wish. For me, this year, Emily Ratajkowski became an important, modern Feminist voice, especially when on the subject of female censorship and sexuality.
(L-R) Lucy Hale, Sasha Pieterse, Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell
These ladies had a fantastic year, if not a little bit of a sad one. They wrapped up filming for their TV show Pretty Little Liars and said goodbye to their characters whom they have grown up with for the past seven years, which was not only a heartbreaking time for them, but also for PLL fans. However, despite the sadness that saying goodbye to such a brilliant programme brought, the show was still just as successful this year as it underwent a time jump, skipping five years into the future to show the girls living their adult lives. Millions have tuned in each week in a bid to get one step closer to finding out who their new villain is. These ladies are truly a force to be reckoned with and shall surely be taking the world by storm once PLL ends for good in 2017. However, they've also had some rather amazing things going on in their personal lives this year. For example, Sasha got engaged, Troian got married, Shay appeared in the movie 'Mothers' Day' and Ashley and Lucy have both been involved with multiple campaigns. Oh and PLL won a ton of awards! So I'd say they're well and truly ready for 2017 and I cannot wait to see what they go on to do next.
Bella Hadid
Bella has lived in the shadow of her older sister Gigi Hadid for a while after her modelling career really took off, however, 2016 was the year in which Bella Hadid shot into the spotlight and became known for the amazing woman she is, in her own right. Gigi has had a fabulous 2016 too, but Bella has well and truly become one of the hottest models of the moment and the world seems to have fallen in love with her. Her modelling career has gone from strength to strength this year. She won 'Model Of The Year' at the GQ Men Of The Year awards, walked in countless fashion shows for the biggest brands, such as Chanel, appeared on more magazine covers than I've eaten hot dinners, was chosen as the face of numerous designer campaigns and ended the year by walking the Victoria's Secret runway for the first time with her sister. Bella Hadid has had, probably, the best year imaginable and, if 2016 is anything to go by, then next year is going to be well and truly the year of Bella Hadid. Its crazy to think that she's only 20 years old!
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez is adored by millions and so it's rare that she has a 'bad year,' however, 2016 was her year for more personal reasons. It started off great for her after she released her album 'Revival' at the end of 2015. The record was incredibly successful and she started the year by touring it in multiple cities. It was a great time for Selena and she clearly loved singing songs that meant a lot to her for people who mean a lot to her every night.She then reached an insane one hundred million Instagram followers, took on an acting role in the beautiful 'The Fundamentals Of Caring,' collaborated with Charlie Puth to create the amazing 'We Don't Talk Anymore' and won awards. She then took a dip after what was an almost perfect start to the year and went in for treatment for three months. Selena was absent from the public eye and all social media during this time and cancelled all her upcoming tour shows. This of course broke her heart, however, for me, this was Selena's year as she decided to put herself and her mental health before anything and everyone else. She didn't want to let people down but she realised that she couldn't carry doing what she was doing if her mood was so low and her mental well-being was at risk. It takes a lot of courage to seek help and the fact that Selena did that will not only have a positive impact on her life now but also on millions of others as they will look to her for inspiration. Selena made a comeback as she attended the 2016 GRAMMYs, won a trophy, and gave an empowering speech in which she encouraged others to think of themselves to put their broken pieces back together. Selena is a true inspiration but, this year, she may not have released any new music or had the most incredible, happy time, but she did something that thousands struggle to do. She set herself free.
Fifth Harmony
2016 was the year of 5H, right? I mean, don't get me wrong, they've had some pretty crazy moments in the since they appeared on the US version of The X Factor. Their debut album 'Reflection' did well and a lot of people fell in love with their songs, including 'Worth It' in 2016, they entered the '7/27' era and everything just jumped up a whole other level, which they surely couldn't have anticipated - nobody did. It all began with the lead single from their sophomore album 'Work From Home,' which I know you're singing in your head now! Honestly, it has to be one of, if not THE, song of the year because its success worldwide has been insane. It sold millions of copies across the globe, won many awards, and it got everyone asking the question "Will any artist ever release a song as good as this ever again?" Like seriously, that track stole the show this year. It's music video was also the most watched music video of 2016 and has clocked up over one billion views! The girls also toured their '7/27' album this year, which also debuted at close to the top of the charts. Plus, their fanbase expanded and a lot of people just, generally, became a lot more aware of who Fifth Harmony are which, to me, is fantastic. We need more girl bands, right? Sadly, the girls end the year as a four piece after Camila announced her decision to leave the group but I know that 2017 shall be a prosperous year for them all, both for Camila as a solo artist and for Normani, Ally, Lauren and Dinah as 5H.
JoJo
I really wanted to feature JoJo in this blog post because she's truly had an incredible year. Things totally changed for her and I feel as though she's finally on her way to being back where she deserves to be. You may remember her for releasing the songs 'Leave, Get Out' and 'Too Little, Too Late' over a decade ago, however, she then ended up in a horrible legal battle with her record label, leaving her unable to make music for an number of years. She did tease fans last year, after being released from the ugly dispute, with some new songs and, this year, she released a new album. 'Mad Love' reached number 6 in the charts, making it the first time JoJo returned to the charts in ten years. The lead single from that album also featured superstar Wiz Khalifa and received many positive reviews. Finally, JoJo supported Fifth Harmony on their tour as one of their opening acts. JoJo has certainly had a rough time of things career wise over the past few years but, in 2016, she bounced back, bigger and better than ever, with perfectly crafted music. I cannot wait to see what JoJo's future holds now that she's got so much creative freedom.
I really wanted to feature JoJo in this blog post because she's truly had an incredible year. Things totally changed for her and I feel as though she's finally on her way to being back where she deserves to be. You may remember her for releasing the songs 'Leave, Get Out' and 'Too Little, Too Late' over a decade ago, however, she then ended up in a horrible legal battle with her record label, leaving her unable to make music for an number of years. She did tease fans last year, after being released from the ugly dispute, with some new songs and, this year, she released a new album. 'Mad Love' reached number 6 in the charts, making it the first time JoJo returned to the charts in ten years. The lead single from that album also featured superstar Wiz Khalifa and received many positive reviews. Finally, JoJo supported Fifth Harmony on their tour as one of their opening acts. JoJo has certainly had a rough time of things career wise over the past few years but, in 2016, she bounced back, bigger and better than ever, with perfectly crafted music. I cannot wait to see what JoJo's future holds now that she's got so much creative freedom.
Ariana Grande
Ariana has an army of fans, (yes, I'm one of them) who support her, year after year, but they truly have her a fantastic 2016 after she released her highly anticipated third album, 'Dangerous Woman.' Her fans had been waiting for this record for the longest time and were especially excited as Ariana remained tight lipped on what kind of sound it would hold. It was released in May, though, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The lead single from the album, (also titled 'Dangerous Woman') allowed Ari to become the first person in the history of the Hot 100 to have the lead single from each of her first three albums debut in the top 10. Ariana's album contains some absolutely iconic songs, such as 'Side To Side,' a collaboration with none other than Nicki Minaj, and I don't think many people will disagree with me when I say that it changed music. Pretty much everyone seems to still be obsessed with the record going into 2017. As for the rest of the year, Ariana has been giving multiple performances at huge events, collaborated with MAC Cosmetics, gained millions more social media followers, duetted with Christina Aguilera and collaborated with Stevie Wonder for a song for the movie 'Sing.' So, I think you'll agree that it hasn't been a bad year for Miss Grande.
Ariana has an army of fans, (yes, I'm one of them) who support her, year after year, but they truly have her a fantastic 2016 after she released her highly anticipated third album, 'Dangerous Woman.' Her fans had been waiting for this record for the longest time and were especially excited as Ariana remained tight lipped on what kind of sound it would hold. It was released in May, though, and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. The lead single from the album, (also titled 'Dangerous Woman') allowed Ari to become the first person in the history of the Hot 100 to have the lead single from each of her first three albums debut in the top 10. Ariana's album contains some absolutely iconic songs, such as 'Side To Side,' a collaboration with none other than Nicki Minaj, and I don't think many people will disagree with me when I say that it changed music. Pretty much everyone seems to still be obsessed with the record going into 2017. As for the rest of the year, Ariana has been giving multiple performances at huge events, collaborated with MAC Cosmetics, gained millions more social media followers, duetted with Christina Aguilera and collaborated with Stevie Wonder for a song for the movie 'Sing.' So, I think you'll agree that it hasn't been a bad year for Miss Grande.
Hillary Clinton
Love her or loathe her, she's a woman of 2016 in my eyes. She may not have won the US Election and she may not be moving into the White House in the New Year, however, Hillary Clinton did extraordinary things this year and has paved the way for men, but especially women, across America, as well as inspiring others worldwide. Through her many political speeches, Hillary gave a voice to the voiceless and stood up for marginalised communities who are being mistreated. She represented women in a beautiful way and was a prime example of the fact that women can work in the same industry as men, women can be successful and women can achieve their dreams if they work hard enough. In her own words, the glass ceiling may not have been shattered this time around, but women could not vote less than one hundred years ago and so I think the fact that one came so close to becoming President this year is rather spectacular. I'm glad that someone like her was running for Office and that little girls in America have her to look to for inspiration.
Love her or loathe her, she's a woman of 2016 in my eyes. She may not have won the US Election and she may not be moving into the White House in the New Year, however, Hillary Clinton did extraordinary things this year and has paved the way for men, but especially women, across America, as well as inspiring others worldwide. Through her many political speeches, Hillary gave a voice to the voiceless and stood up for marginalised communities who are being mistreated. She represented women in a beautiful way and was a prime example of the fact that women can work in the same industry as men, women can be successful and women can achieve their dreams if they work hard enough. In her own words, the glass ceiling may not have been shattered this time around, but women could not vote less than one hundred years ago and so I think the fact that one came so close to becoming President this year is rather spectacular. I'm glad that someone like her was running for Office and that little girls in America have her to look to for inspiration.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner just seems to get bigger and more popular as the years pass by but I feel like 2016 was the year (not just of realising stuff, as she said) her career really took off and she found a place for herself. She didn't just appear on multiple magazine covers, she also became the face of Puma sportswear and unleashed her very on cosmetics brand to the world. She began selling lipkits which consisted of a liquid lipstick and a lipliner, and to say they sold like hot cakes would be offensive...because they sold faster than hot cakes. Everyone wanted a Kylie Lip Kit, especially as she is so known for having plump and pouty lips. Throughout the year she has been expanding her 'Kylie Cosmetics' brand by releasing other products, including lip glosses, eyeshadow palettes and eyeliners. Additionally, Kylie recently released a ton of more merchandise on her website, including tshirts, caps, hoodies and phone cases. Even at the end of the year, the hype still has not died down as thousands of people worldwide are paying hundreds of pounds for Kylie's products and don't seem to mind the shipping and customs charges. 2017 is sure to be an exciting year for Kylie and her brand, particularly because she opened up a pop-up shop this December and plans to open more in the future.
Kylie Jenner just seems to get bigger and more popular as the years pass by but I feel like 2016 was the year (not just of realising stuff, as she said) her career really took off and she found a place for herself. She didn't just appear on multiple magazine covers, she also became the face of Puma sportswear and unleashed her very on cosmetics brand to the world. She began selling lipkits which consisted of a liquid lipstick and a lipliner, and to say they sold like hot cakes would be offensive...because they sold faster than hot cakes. Everyone wanted a Kylie Lip Kit, especially as she is so known for having plump and pouty lips. Throughout the year she has been expanding her 'Kylie Cosmetics' brand by releasing other products, including lip glosses, eyeshadow palettes and eyeliners. Additionally, Kylie recently released a ton of more merchandise on her website, including tshirts, caps, hoodies and phone cases. Even at the end of the year, the hype still has not died down as thousands of people worldwide are paying hundreds of pounds for Kylie's products and don't seem to mind the shipping and customs charges. 2017 is sure to be an exciting year for Kylie and her brand, particularly because she opened up a pop-up shop this December and plans to open more in the future.
Lottie Tomlinson
Last but absolutely not least we have Lottie Tomlinson, who I really wanted to speak about. You may know her as the little sister of 1D's Louis, however she's now made a name for herself as a make-up artist. In 2016, career wise, everything went perfectly. She toured with One Direction, picking up tips from their stylist Lou Teasdale, worked with Louisa Johnson for many shoots and performances, created her own lip and nail paints with Nails INC, was the face of Ghost Girl Crush's fragrance, modelled for Ariana Grande's Lipsy collection and was offered the chance to work as Selena Gomez's make-up artist on her world tour. I mean, when you read all that, it 1) makes you a little jealous and 2) makes you think she couldn't have had a better year. On the other hand, though, Lottie's personal life wasn't as perfect as many may have presumed. On the surface, to the outside world, she seemed to have it all but, back at home, her Mum, Johannah, was suffering with an aggressive form of Leukaemia, to which she sadly lost her battle this December. This was undoubtedly a painful year for Lottie and her family but the reason why she is one of my women of 2016 is because of the way she handled all this heartbreak. Despite being offered the biggest possible career break to go and work with Selena, one of the world's biggest stars, she turned it down in order to stay at home and take care of her younger siblings, two of which are young teens and the other twins who are only two years old. Lottie worked so hard to keep things normal for them and to remind them each day how loved and cared for they are. She put on a brave face and really was the glue that held her family together. Despite being the tender age of just eighteen, Lottie stepped up and was there for her family when their Mum wasn't well enough to be. She put her life on hold and risked a successful future to look after the ones she loves and play Mum. She got endless amounts of stick for it, with online trolls constantly questioning why, on social media, she always looked like she was bringing up her siblings, and why she would turn down such a big opportunity as working with Selena Gomez, but these people had no idea what was going on behind closed doors until it was too late, meaning Lottie also had to block out their negativity as well as balancing her new found responsibilities. I just really wanted to mention her here because she deserves so much recognition for what she has done. Lottie is a wonderful human being anyway, there isn't a bad bone in her body, but she performed such a massive act of bravery this year and was remained strong so that those around her would feel strong too. Losing a parent you are close to results in feelings which cannot be described with words but Lottie deserves a medal for how courageous she has been in 2016. It was not a kind year to her and her family but I can only hope that 2017 will treat them with the kindness that they so very deserve.
So, who was your woman of 2016? <3
Love, Emily :) xx
Last but absolutely not least we have Lottie Tomlinson, who I really wanted to speak about. You may know her as the little sister of 1D's Louis, however she's now made a name for herself as a make-up artist. In 2016, career wise, everything went perfectly. She toured with One Direction, picking up tips from their stylist Lou Teasdale, worked with Louisa Johnson for many shoots and performances, created her own lip and nail paints with Nails INC, was the face of Ghost Girl Crush's fragrance, modelled for Ariana Grande's Lipsy collection and was offered the chance to work as Selena Gomez's make-up artist on her world tour. I mean, when you read all that, it 1) makes you a little jealous and 2) makes you think she couldn't have had a better year. On the other hand, though, Lottie's personal life wasn't as perfect as many may have presumed. On the surface, to the outside world, she seemed to have it all but, back at home, her Mum, Johannah, was suffering with an aggressive form of Leukaemia, to which she sadly lost her battle this December. This was undoubtedly a painful year for Lottie and her family but the reason why she is one of my women of 2016 is because of the way she handled all this heartbreak. Despite being offered the biggest possible career break to go and work with Selena, one of the world's biggest stars, she turned it down in order to stay at home and take care of her younger siblings, two of which are young teens and the other twins who are only two years old. Lottie worked so hard to keep things normal for them and to remind them each day how loved and cared for they are. She put on a brave face and really was the glue that held her family together. Despite being the tender age of just eighteen, Lottie stepped up and was there for her family when their Mum wasn't well enough to be. She put her life on hold and risked a successful future to look after the ones she loves and play Mum. She got endless amounts of stick for it, with online trolls constantly questioning why, on social media, she always looked like she was bringing up her siblings, and why she would turn down such a big opportunity as working with Selena Gomez, but these people had no idea what was going on behind closed doors until it was too late, meaning Lottie also had to block out their negativity as well as balancing her new found responsibilities. I just really wanted to mention her here because she deserves so much recognition for what she has done. Lottie is a wonderful human being anyway, there isn't a bad bone in her body, but she performed such a massive act of bravery this year and was remained strong so that those around her would feel strong too. Losing a parent you are close to results in feelings which cannot be described with words but Lottie deserves a medal for how courageous she has been in 2016. It was not a kind year to her and her family but I can only hope that 2017 will treat them with the kindness that they so very deserve.
So, who was your woman of 2016? <3
Love, Emily :) xx
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