2023 was a huge year for women representation in media, from the strong female musicians whose tours made history to the films showcased with both mild and strong themes of womanhood.
Supergroup boygenius came out with their highly anticipated first album this year, called The Record, following the earlier release of their EP in 2018. This album led to five Grammy nominations and two MTV music video award nominations for the band. They have been on magazine covers, live TV performances as well as a multiple month long world tour. The band is made up of three women, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, all of whom have had successful solo careers outside the band. The three friends create a truly safe space within their music and concerts through the promotion of LGBTQ+ acceptance. They have broken major barriers in the music world. Their band name alone mocks how men are commonly praised for their every thought. It’s without a doubt been a truly exciting year for the group.
The highly anticipated film, Barbie, came out this past July. Directed by Greta Gerwig, and made up of a truly exciting cast, the film highlights very large and important themes of gender norms, emotional acceptance, embracing change, personal growth and self acceptance. The film appeals to all ages and not only touches on these impactful themes but also is visually pleasing.
The film received backlash from mostly men, saying it was harsh and unrealistic, but most notably that the highlighting of the patriarchy was driving a wedge between men and women, which suggests that they thoroughly missed the point.
In addition to two re-recorded versions of her earlier albums this year, Taylor Swift has been on a world tour of essentially her greatest hits called The Eras Tour. Swift is arguably one of the most influential women of her generation, selling out massive stadiums and breaking ticket websites. Swift is a powerhouse of a woman and inspirational to many. Not only was her tour a major success, but the recent release of that tour in a 3-hour film version has made nearly 300 million dollars in box office revenue and is released on streaming as of Dec.13th. The tour and film explore the diverse musical chapters of one of America’s most celebrated pop icons.
Montana’s own Lily Gladstone’s breakout performance in the critically acclaimed film Killers of the Flower Moon is assumed to win many awards and potentially make her one of the first indigenous women to win for her acting performance. Gladstone starred in multiple films this year, but her most notable performance might be that of the one in Killers of the Flower Moon, as critics have described it as truly show stealing.
2023 was the rise of Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old tennis player from Atlanta, GA, became the first teenager to win the US open this century. Gauff has been playing tennis since she was 6 years old but made her debut in professional tennis in 2018. Her excellence continues to be inspiring to young women around the world.
This just highlights a few, but the list of outstanding women in today’s media goes on and on. It’s truly an inspiration for the young ones of the world from all different backgrounds.
