This year marks the 25th anniversary of Glamour magazine’s “Women of the Year” issue. In the past, women such as Laverne Cox, Lupita Nyong’o, Mindy Kaling and Anna Wintour have made an appearance in this empowering edition of the magazine.
2015 has been no different, with a stellar cast of female trailblazers gracing the pages of Glamour. These women include Reese Witherspoon, Misty Copeland, Victoria Beckham, Elizabeth Holmes, Cecile Richards, the U.S. women’s national soccer team, five female “Peacemakers of Charleston” who were recently affected by the South Carolina church massacre and Cailtyn Jenner.
Did you pause upon reading the name of the last female candidate? You might have, considering that this former Olympian, who made headlines this past year for announcing her transgender identity wasn’t always a strong, powerful woman. Once male and going by Bruce Jenner, this athlete has transformed into Caitlyn just within the past several months.
Jenner has had a busy, breakthrough of a year. This past April, she sat down with Diane Sawyer to share her story about her lifelong struggle with her sexual identity in a tell-all interview. Just two months after this, Jenner was featured on the July cover of Vanity Fair, in which she came out as a woman. In that issue, Jenner was featured, saying, “If I was lying on my deathbed and I had kept this secret and never ever did anything about it, I would be lying there saying, ‘You just blew your entire life.’” Soon after this, Jenner starred in her own docu-series on E! called “I Am Cait,” while also accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the EPSYs in mid July.
Jenner was dubbed one of Glamour’s women of the year Thursday, Oct. 29, and the publication received a great deal of backlash upon this announcement. However, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Cindi Leive, was fully prepared for this criticism. She spoke to the Associated Press, saying, “[it] certainly gives you an appreciation for the hostility of the trans community that still exists out there. We’re proud of that and we’re proud of what Caitlyn Jenner has done to illuminate what so many in the trans community go through.”
Glamour’s women of the year awards are comprised of a wide range of females, including actresses, athletes, designers, entrepreneurs and health advocates. So, it shouldn’t be unusual or controversial to feature a transgender woman within the issue as well.
Thankfully, Jenner is handling the backlash positively. Her rep told the Associated Press, “Where there is hateful chatter on Twitter, there is just as much, if not more, love and support. We prefer to focus on the positive.”
Jenner accepted this nomination a mere day after celebrating her 66th birthday, which is her first as a female. Needless to say, this was an excellent week for Jenner. She responded to her Glamour nomination saying, “I am just excited about the future for the first time in a long, long time. And that is a nice feeling to have.” Jenner went on to say, “To be honest with you, if the worst thing in the world that happens to you is you are trans, you’ve got it made.”
The 2015 Women of the Year December issue of Glamour will hit stands on November 10, so be sure to pick up a copy and read all about the fantastic females who have been honored for their various accomplishments.
Feature Image: Alberto Frank Photo, Courtesy of Flickr URL
