FEMINIST ICONS THROUGHOUT HISTORY

from Honey Magazine - Fall 2021

PURITY CULTURE 18 - FENTY BEAUTY

STYLE STYLE

Marilyn Monroe’s image as the defining sex symbol of the 1950s is a familiar one. Short bleached blonde hair, striking red lips and a captivating gaze. Monroe had a troubling childhood of moving through the foster care system before using her beauty as her power to sign a film contract with 20th Century-Fox — a rags to riches story that encompassed the ideals of 1950s America. Monroe discovered Hollywood was not as glamorous as she thought. Once treasured for her bombshell status, it started to work against her as production companies offered her strict contracts with low pay and belittled her on set. The media blasted Monroe for being untalented, hard to work with and greedy. Tired of not being treated with respect, Monroe decided to take matters into her own hands and start her own production company. Monroe, who died at the age of 36, became a representation of evolving sexual liberation in America.

Feminist Icons Throughout History

WRITTEN BY Abby Madan // PHOTOS BY Leigh McTeer-Shields // DESIGN BY Hayley Gomez

60s

The Supremes, a powerhouse girl group, were the queens of Motown, the defining label for racial integration in the music industry. Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson signed as The Supremes with Motown records in 1961, becoming the company’s most successful acts. Rivaling the success of the Beatles at their peak, The Supremes offered glamorous style and unique sound leading to huge successes, including many hit singles, and pivotal changes for Black soul and disco performers during the Civil Rights movement. From inspiring the Tony Award-winning musical Dreamgirls to a 1988 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to a star on Hollywood Boulevard, the Supremes’s legacy lingers.

70s

At 29,032 feet in the sky, Junko Tabei became the first woman to scale Mount Everest. Tabei was born in 1939 in Fukushima, Japan. She was described as a frail child, but her love of nature drew her to mountain climbing. Tabei found ways to support her dream and eventually established the Joshi-Tohan Club — made specifically for women in mind as Tabei had faced barriers as a female climber in a male-dominated sport. Tabei’s Everst expedition was long and difficult; Tabei and her crew faced an avalanche that caused her and four others to lose consciousness, but Tabei’s determination helped her reach the summit. Tabei went on to climb the Seven Summits, write books about her experiences, and organized environmental projects before passing away in 2016.

Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera is best remembered for her impeccable style — highlighted during her time going to New York’s infamous Studio 54 nightclub during the 1980s with the likes of Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger. After befriending Diana Vreeland, former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, she was inspired to design a clothing line — the collection catapulted her into becoming an influential figure in fashion. Herrera’s pieces emphasized bright, assorted colors, a later staple of 1980s fashion. After starting her fashion company, Herrera launched several ready-to-wear collections and later dressed several first ladies, including Jacqueline Kennedy and Nancy Reagan. Herrera has recently shifted the creative direction of her brand to designer Wes Gordon, but the vibrancy she brought to fashion has left its mark. 80s

In 1997, Kalpana Chawla took her first journey to space as a part of the STS-87 Columbia flight crew becoming the first Indian woman to go to space. Chawla attended Punjab Engineering College in India where she received her degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Chawla then came to the United States to pursue her master’s and her Ph.D. According to Chawla’s NASA profile, she operated a robotic arm on her first space flight and studied how “the weightless environment of space affects various physical processes.” On a mission to space in 2003, Chawla and the rest of her crew tragically perished while returning to Earth on flight STS-107 Columbia. Chawla’s remembered for her mind and determination, and not only did she accomplish her dreams, but showed millions of young women around the world that they could do the same.