Celebrating Women’s History Month
In honor of Women’s History Month, our team has highlighted a handful of influential women who have impacted the music and entertainment industry, and beyond.
Lucy Dacus
Lucy Dacus is making a positive impact on both the music industry and the world. Lucy is a queer, female, musician from Virginia who is constantly advocating for women’s, LGBTQ+ and overall human rights. Within her music she is very open about topics such as heartbreak, unhealthy relationships, religious trauma and growing up queer. Seeing her write in such a real way has inspired many songwriters to come forward and praise her art, including her companions in Boygenius (Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker). She is changing the game for music, and advocating for a better world all while making people feel less alone in their struggles, and it is a beautiful thing to see happen. — Maddie Turner
Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg has inspired people of all ages around the world to act and care about climate change. Seeing someone so young take action and speak out about real world problems is extremely motivating, which also adds to her ability as a role model for other young adults. — Haley Milnes
Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta, an activist and co-founder of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) paved the way for many women to follow in her footsteps. Taking inspiration from her mother, Dolores started advocating for better working conditions for agricultural workers and the fair treatment of immigrants. Dolores has been outspoken on the advancement of women and Latine people in political offices. Her fierce dedication to farm workers, immigrants, women, and the Latine community was acknowledged in 1998 as she was honored with the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award and, in 2012, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dolores's contributions to the fight for equality are still felt today and continue to be a source of inspiration. — Erin Corcoran
Maren Morris
Maren Morris is more than just a beautiful, syrupy country voice - she is an advocate and ally for many people that country music marginalizes. Coined a “lunatic country music person” by certain members of the press for being a vocal supporter of the transgender and LGBTQ+ communities, Morris continues to break barriers in the predominantly white male country scene. Her outspoken nature and willingness to advocate for those who are less privileged than she is make her, in my opinion, one of the most important people in the country scene currently. She follows in the footsteps of other incredible women like Shania Twain and Dolly Parton that uphold the same values & are also dedicated to making the scene a better working environment for everyone. — Sydney Hise
Japanese Breakfast
Acclaimed musician and New York Times best-selling author Michelle Zauner is making waves in the industry. Best known as lead vocalist for alternative-indie band Japanese Breakfast, Zauner doesn’t shy away from being vulnerable in her writing. Through her music and deeply personal memoir Crying in H Mart (2021), she shares intimate moments of dealing with grief, navigating generational trauma, and rediscovering her Korean heritage. In a society so heavily dominated by white men, Zauner is an active advocate for Asian Americans and continues to push for creating a more accessible music scene for all. — Amy Tang
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, commonly known as Shakira, is a well known Colombian singer. With over 85 million records sold, she is considered one of the best-selling artists of all time– yet, that is not all she is known for. Throughout her years in the spotlight, Shakira has used her fame for good. In 1997, at the beginning of her career, she founded the “Pies Descalzos Foundation.” Aiming towards helping impoverished children in her home country of Colombia, the foundation aids in providing education and even meals. She is also a UNICEF ambassador where she advocates for education for children all over the world. Not only that, but Shakira has also become one of Latin America’s most popular female icons. She has easily become one of the first representations of Latinx women to reach her height of success in western media, even surpassing several men in the same boat. She said, “I believe in equal opportunities; women should be able to open the same doors as men, also because we are more capable.” and has certainly led an exemplary example! — Esmeralda Gonzalez
Linda McCartney
My life has a lot of rather strange connections to Linda McCartney. She studied art history at the University of Arizona and I studied film at the University of Arizona. I started to get serious about photography while living in Tucson while Linda did the same. I’ve always had a deep admiration for her as a woman in concert photography, but I was deeply unaware of the similarities in our style of concert and film photography. A woman of several trades, she went on to not only start Wings with her husband Paul, but also became known as a pioneer for a style of photography that captured everyday, casual homelife. At this time, this type of photography was not considered a serious, professional platform, but she did not care. In fact, Linda was so blissfully careless about what anyone had to say. When the media tried to pin The Beatles’ breakup on her relationship with Paul, she simply said “I dont care.” Regardless of her connection with Paul, she went on to become a bestselling author for her vegetarian cookbooks, becoming a huge figure for the meat-free community. All in all, I am so inspired by Linda for being such a three-dimensional figure that, in some ways, overshadowed her husband. — Ally Iseminger
Annie Mac
Dubliner Annie Macmanus (best known as “Annie Mac”) is a triple threat with a two-decade long career as a DJ, broadcaster and writer. She is best known as the host who kickstarted millions of listener’s weekends with her Friday night show on BBC Radio 1 for 17 years. More than just the uplifting radio host, Macmanus’s shows always cultivate a space for experimentation and she made a name for herself by showcasing and uplifting her fellow, sprightly DJs. These events are an experience where all people, including those who prefer an early night of dancing at one of Macmanus’s “Before Midnight” gigs can take pleasure in. Her down-to-earth charisma earned her a spot in the circles of other well-renowned producers and DJs across the UK. Macmanus also spearheaded the “Equalising Music Pledge” - a gender equality initiative that encourages every person in the music industry to ‘do one thing’ for gender equality. She proudly supports the notion that dance music is bred in a space where marginalized parties feel free to be themselves and find solace in passion. These accomplishments and more merit Macmanus the crown as an earnest tastemaker in the music industry and beyond. — Ashley Evers
