It is officially 2016 and yet another year is behind us. 2015 was an incredible year; so many monumental events happened in just one year. Gay marriage was declared legal in all 50 states, rubella was eliminated in the Americas, and Olympian Bruce Jenner publicly became a woman, which paved the way for the LGBT community. Women have spoken up in the media more than ever before. These five women have spoken out about real issues, shown some love, and inspired many:
Malala Yousafzai
At the young age of 18 years old, Malala Yousafzai has defied the Taliban and she has become a voice for the importance of girls' education. Following attacks on schools in which girls were allowed to attend, Malala began to give public talks. Her talk was called "How dare the Taliban take away my basic human right to education." Soon after, she became a secret blogger for BBC, under a fake name. The Taliban noticed the young woman speaking out against them and this made them retaliate. In 2012, she was shot in her head by a Taliban gunman and she survived. Since then, she has continued to speak up about the importance of education for women and girls. Malala has become the youngest person in history to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. And in 2015, a documentary about her amazing achievements was released.
Laverne Cox
The "Orange Is the New Black" star made an even bigger difference in 2015. Laverne is the first trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television show and the first trans woman to win an Emmy award. As a transgender woman herself, Laverne Cox has publicly brought attention to the transgender community and the issues that it faces. Cox declared a "transgender state of emergency" after 17 transgender women were murdered in 2015 alone for "being who they are," according to Cox. The LGBT advocate has spoken out, specifically towards violence that is faced by transgenders. Her advocacy focuses on acceptance towards transgender people in society. Due to her advocacy for the LGBT community, she was the recipient of the Dorian Rising Star Award for her work in "Orange Is the New Black," the Courage Award from the Anti-Violence Project, The Community Leader Award from the LGBT Center of New York City, and was named one of the Top 50 Trans Icons by the Huffington Post.
Amy Schumer
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence is Hollywood's most personable and relatable celebrity. Much like her newfound friend Amy Schumer, she is not afraid to speak her mind and show that she's just like everyone else. This year, her typically quirky and sarcastic sense of humor took a turn. She decided to address unequal pay between women and men in Hollywood in an essay. According to Forbes, she is the highest paid actress in Hollywood; however, she was very unhappy to find that her male co-stars were making more money than her. Lawrence was not shy about her thoughts about the wage gap and spoke up about it. Although 2015 did not bring Lawrence's best movies, She was still named Entertainer of the Year by Entertainment Weekly. In 2015, J-Law inspired us to speak up for ourselves and take a few shots before our own movie premiere. Yes, she did.
Taylor Swift
There is no "Bad Blood" with Taylor Swift in 2015, only #squadgoals and charity. Swift had a great year on her 1989 world tour, featuring hundreds of guest stars. The pop star befriended all of the biggest stars in entertainment, like Kendall Jenner and GiGi Hadid. Known for her close relationship with fans, the star made her relationship with her fans even stronger this year. She reached out to one heartbroken woman and gave her relationship advice over Tumblr and she even sent out personalized Christmas gifts to her die-hard fans. Despite her busy schedule as a megastar, Swift still made time for hospital visits to her ill fans, she showed up at a fan's bridal shower, and she has made many donations to GoFundMe to pay for others' hospital bills. T-Swift, what is not to love.
