The arts are well represented in Time magazine’s annual Women of the Year list, with the class of 24 including actress, writer and director Greta Gerwig, actor Taraji P. Henson, and singer, songwriter and actress Andra Day.
The list of 12 women was announced this morning. Also included on the list are tennis player Coco Gauff; Chanel Global CEO Leena Nair; Co-founder and leader of the Israeli Women Make Peace movement Yael Admi; Founder and Director of Women of the Sun, Reem Hajajra; President and CEO of the non-profit Nadia Initiative, Nadia Murad; Medical scientist and research professor in the field of hyperemesis gravidarum Marlena Viso; Chisholm Heritage Project Founder and Executive Director Jackie Patterson; poet Ada Lemon; and economic historian and labor economist Claudia Goldin.
TIME’s list is designed to honor “extraordinary leaders working for a more equal world.”
related Barbie Director Gerwig, who appears on the cover of Time’s Women of the Year issue, said: “Gerwig’s story is as much about commerce as it is about art: her films are humane, emotional, and funny; she is the only director in history to have been nominated in the first three Its individual feature films are nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
“However, her films also did well at the box office,” he continued, adding: “Her debut as a solo director is semi-autobiographical. Lady Bird, grossed $79 million against a $10 million budget; Her next, adapted from the beloved Louisa May Alcott little Women, had a budget of $40 million and earned $231 million — both exceptional returns on investment. These commercial triumphs reflect the resonance of her work in culture, particularly among women and girls, whose love lives and ambitions Gerwig explores in her films. But achieving success with gender means underestimating how her work transcends its boundaries, too.
Time correspondent Andrew R. Chow what happened VioletHenson as “one of Hollywood’s most active figures and prolific stars” who “pulled back the curtain, sharing her frustration and sadness as a black woman in the industry.”
“In December, she broke down in tears during an interview with Gayle King about her fight for fair pay,” Chow wrote. Her words sparked an outpouring of affirmations and greater dialogue about the prevailing pay gap, both inside and outside of Hollywood. A 2019 study found that female stars overall earned $1.1 million less than male stars with similar experience. A 2023 Pew study found that black women nationally earned 70% of the wages earned by white men. Despite years of success and accolades, Henson says she still receives low-profile offers at every turn — and that’s for a woman who has broken through Hollywood’s upper echelon, and who has received two Academy Award nominations and four Emmy Awards over the course of nearly three decades on screen.
Regarding Day, Time magazine correspondent Moises Mendez said the singer “came to prominence in 2015 with her song Rise Up, a poignant song that received a Grammy nomination and later became an anthem for the Black Lives Matter protests.” In 2021, in her first leading role in a feature film, she plays one of the most legendary singers of all time in director Lee Daniels’ film. United States v. Billie Hollidayy, a performance for which she received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination while the soundtrack received a Grammy Award. I made another movie with Daniels, SalvationAnd one with writer and director Titus Kabar, Show forgiveness“And they’re both coming.”
Time magazine will host its third annual invitation-only Time Women of the Year Gala on Tuesday, March 5, in Los Angeles. The event will include appearances and remarks from Women of the Year winners, the presentation of the Time Earth Award, and a special musical performance by Andra Day.