After the buzz of the 2016 Grammys, one thing is certain: Taylor Swift is the first woman to have ever received two Album of the Year Grammy awards. What is not so certain? Public consensus, of course: She beat Kendrick Lamar's “To Pimp A Butterfly,” an album many feel truly deserved the award over Swift’s “1989,” especially in light of the fact that Lamar’s song titled “Alright” has been used nationwide in #BlackLivesMatter protests (alongside the overall beauty of the album); some feel her acceptance speech was "rude" and "condescending" (looking at you, Tori Kelly); and some feel "1989" is just simply not “good enough” to win the Album of the Year. I’m not going to speculate on any of these claims, but I do think it’s important to acknowledge that yes, Swift won, and yes, she set a precedent that night.
If we have a problem with the fact the Academy chose Swift over Lamar, we should be directing our confusion and frustration toward the Academy for not choosing the more “artful” or “better” album. We should be asking them why they did not choose other artists instead of misplacing our frustration and turning it into anger while also directing it at Swift. The Academy has a long history of choosing “safe” albums over “unprecedented” or “shocking” albums, and we should be asking them why this is, not getting upset at the artists. They just say “thank you,” accept their award and pose for pictures.
In any case, now that I’ve made my claim, on to the main course.
For those of you who need pure, unadulterated female success after the drama of the Grammys, here we have it: Nine times women set precedents in their own fields and passions, without the drama and bullshit!
1. First woman to vote: Lydia Chapin (Taft)
Lydia Taft is the first woman on the records to cast a vote in the U.S. – ever. After her husband and her eldest son died, her youngest son was not eligible to vote yet in their rural town of Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Lydia, as the widow of a well-respected man, was able to vote in his absence. Pretty cool, right?
2. First sci-fi writer: Mary Shelley
Although the sentiments of science fiction can be traced back hundreds of years before Mary Shelley wrote her famous tale featuring the “mad scientist” and the archetypal “monster,” hers is the first novel that can undoubtedly be pinpointed as the beginning of “science fiction” as a genre. Curl up with a cup of tea and a copy of "Frankenstein" the next time you are not busy.
3. First woman to get a college degree: Ellen Swallow Richards
She received her degree in chemistry from Vassar College in 1870, after saving $300 to enroll. She also went on to receive her bachelor’s degree from MIT and helped fight for women to be more regularly accepted at schools like MIT.
4. And in that strand, Frances Elizabeth Willard was the first female college president.
Willard was the president of Evanston College for Ladies, but she was far more than that. She was also the president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, reaching for ambitious goals. Willard’s goals also went on to include such things as anti-rape laws, child abuse laws, the eight-hour work week and many other socially progressive movements.
5. The first all-female punk rock band
The Runaways included Joan Jett, Cherie Curie, Lita Ford, Micki Steele and select others throughout their run. They faced many hardships in the rise of punk rock, but they were also very commercially successful. They released four albums in their run, and many of the members went on to achieve solo success, especially Joan Jett. There is a fantastic 2010 movie about their career as a band together, called, predictably, "The Runaways." It stars Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning as Joan Jett and Cherie Curie.
6. First black woman to win a Grammy: Ella Fitzgerald
A fantastic jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald scored two Grammys in 1958, one for Best Female Vocal Performance for the album, “The Irving Berlin Songbook" and one for Best Individual Jazz Performance for “The Duke Ellington Songbook.” In total, Ella Fitzgerald won 13 Grammys in her entire career. It is no secret she faced racism as she climbed to fame, but she was able to overcome this and be one of the most successful singers of her time, gaining international fame and recognition for her work. She is still regarded and well-loved by many.
7. First woman to win a Pulitzer Prize: Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton is a very interesting figure. She was born in a time and into a strict class structure where women weren’t supposed to do anything besides get married and have children. She broke through these expectations, publishing 40 books in her lifetime and not only winning the first Pulitzer Prize won by a woman, but also becoming the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from Yale University. She also designed her own house, “The Mount" (pictured above).
8. First Latina to serve as Supreme Court Justice: Sonia Sotomayor
Most people have heard of this fantastic woman, but some may not know she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Princeton University, also receiving the Pyne Prize. She also realized she wanted to become a judge after watching an episode of "Perry Mason." She was born in the Bronx, and her mother impressed upon her the importance of higher education. This obviously paid off in the end, as she now makes some of the most important decisions in our country.
9. First trans-woman of color to have a leading role in a popular TV show: Laverne Cox
We all know and love her as the character "Sophia: in "Orange is the New Black," a Netflix original series. Cox now uses her social media platform to bring attention to issues people, who identify as trans, face. She originated the hashtag #TransIsBeautiful, which is now widely used by other people who face the same issues as they tell their stories.
