#strongfemaleleads

So Excited

[THE POINTER SISTERS (Anita, Ruth, June, and Bonnie Pointer): Oakland, CA, singing group]

Climate Defender

[GRETA THUNBERG, Swedish teen climate activist, lead School Strike for Climate]

Smart

[“MOLLY” (Beanie Feldstein) & “AMY” (Kaitlyn Dever) in BOOKSMART, 2019, dir. Olivia Wilde]

Activist Athlete

[MEGAN RAPINOE: Soccer player, team captain, gold medal winner, outspoken advocate of civil rights and equal pay]

Loud

[BUSY PHILLIPS: actor, talk show host, author; spoke on-air about her choice to have an abortion at 15]

Journalist

[LYRA McKEE, 29-year-old Belfast-born activist, editor, and journalist; shot & killed (18 Apr. 2019) while covering Northern Ireland unrest in Derry]

Designing Woman

[YEHA LEUNG (“Creepyyeha”): Designer of custom, handmade bondage & fetish pieces, based in NYC]

photo: Brian Vu, 2019

Undeterred

[REP. ILHAN OMAR, U.S. Representative (D) for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district (covering the Minneapolis area) elected to Minnesota House of Rep.s in 2016 and U.S. House in 2019]

Researcher

[DR. KATIE BOUMAN: MIT graduate whose research and algorithm contribution made possible the first photograph of a black hole in April 2019. (This is Katie posing with hard drives used for the project.)]

Feisty

[“MONA ROBINSON” in Who’s The Boss: 1984-1992, played by Katherine Helmond (R.I.P.)]

Resister

[LORENA GALLO (formerly BOBBITT): Acted in self-defense after years of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse; domestic abuse activist/speaker]

DJ

[Valerie Ann Calano (DJ Explorateur): disc jockey, record collector, photographer, dog mom]

(photo by Emily Pothast)

Action Taker

[CANDICE PAYNE: Realtor who rented 30 hotel rooms (and added 30 more after fundraising) to shelter houseless Chicago residents during a severe cold snap in late Jan. 2019]

Angry

[HANNAH GADSBY: Stand-up comedian and art history scholar who said: “There is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself.”]

Film Editor 

[THELMA SCHOONMAKER: Three-time Academy-Award-winner (Best Film Editing) who has edited the films of Martin Scorsese for 50+ years. She also served as assistant director & editor of the documentary film Woodstock.]

Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton, and Emmylou Harris.
February, 1978. Photo by Ed Thrasher.

Champion

[NAOMI OSAKA: Professional tennis player, winner of two US Opens (2018, 2020). At the 2020 US Open, Naomi wore seven masks printed with seven names of Black Americans killed by police brutality or racial injustice.]

Satirist

[SARAH COOPER: NYC-based comedian, TikTok star, and author (‘100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings,’ 'How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings’)]

Creator

[TOVE JANSSON: queer Finnish artist, writer, and creator of ‘The Moomins’]