For International Women’s Day: Ladies I Love

96 Responses to For International Women’s Day: Ladies I Love

1. Natalie says:

   January 21, 2017 at 12:20 pm

   My God. This list is amazing.

   Off the top of my head:
   Elizabeth Warren
   Malala Yousafzai
   Rosalind Franklin
   Eleanor Roosevelt
   Marie Curie
   Lucille Ball
   Pink
   Elizabeth Smart
   Ruth Bader Ginsburg
   Sonia Sotomayor (as much for this clip from Sesame Street as for her work: https://youtu.be/EHICz5MYxNQ)
   Golda Meir
   Queen Latifah
   Maya Angelou

   And if we’re including fictional characters:
   Anne Shirley
   Meg Murry
   Buffy Summers
   Matilda Wormwood
   Ramona Quimby
   Donna Noble

   I’m sure I’ll keep thinking of more. Thank you for this!

   Reply
2. mutecypher says:

   January 21, 2017 at 3:36 pm

   Hedy and her invention, hell yeah!

   Sheila, what a wonderful list with a great mix of iconic and seldom seen images!

   And being a nerdboy I’ll throw in:
   Ada Lovelace
   Barbara McClintock
   Sally Ride
   Hildegard of Bingen
   (Natalie got Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin)
   Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
   Sofia Kovalevskaya
   Emmy Noether
   Williamina Fleming
   Rebecca Sugar
   Ursula K. Le Guin
   Connie Willis
   Anne McCaffrey
   Marguerite Duras

   Again, this is a wonderful list you’ve made. Overwhelming!

   Reply
   • mutecypher says:

     January 22, 2017 at 3:43 pm

     I haven’t seen “Hidden Figures” yet, but Williamina Fleming (if you aren’t familiar with her) had something of a similar arc. She was the maid of E. C. Pickering, the head of the Harvard College Observatory. He was often unhappy with the work of his “computers” – guys (this was in the late 1800’s). He remarked that his Scottish maid could do better work than they did. And he put that to the test. He ended up hiring a full group of female computers – with her as the lead. Williamina went on to be the first person to observe the Horsehead Nebula, among other things, and began a system of categorizing stars by the amount of hydrogen in their spectra (cool stuff, if you’re into that sort of thing).

     Reply
     • sheila says:

       January 22, 2017 at 5:50 pm

       Mutecypher – what an amazing story, I did not know about this!

       Reply
     • Lizzie says:

       January 24, 2017 at 11:42 am

       I just read a play called “Silent Sky” about the Harvard Computers! The main character was Henrietta Leavitt, but Williamina Fleming was also a character.
       According to the play, Henrietta figured out how to calculate the distances between different stars (I think based on their brightness and how frequently they blinked?) The playwright, Lauren Gunderson, often writes plays about forgotten women of history–it was really cool to learn about this group of women that I had no idea existed!

       Reply
       • sheila says:

         January 25, 2017 at 11:50 am

         Lizzie – wow, thank you so much – I am totally going to seek out that script.

         Reply
   • Jessie says:

     January 22, 2017 at 5:33 pm

     Did You Know that Janelle Monae has a song about Sally Ride that includes the incredible line “I’m packing my spacesuit and I’m taking my shit and moving to the moon.”? Lady synergy!

     Reply
     • sheila says:

       January 22, 2017 at 5:48 pm

       !!!! I did not know this!

       Oh, Janelle, I love you so! It’s even more perfect that there’s a scene in Hidden Figures where she and another engineer walk around a lunar space module together trying to figure out why the panels keep blowing off during tests.

       Talk about synergy! I have goosebumps!!

       Reply
       • Jessie says:

         January 23, 2017 at 10:22 pm

         Monae is perfection!I can’t wait to see Hidden Figures.

         Reply
       • sheila says:

         January 25, 2017 at 11:53 am

         I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that the film got an Oscar nom for its screenplay. I don’t invest in the Oscars the way other critics do – nobody’s “snubbed” or “robbed” or any of the rest. But sometimes something comes along where you think, “I just hope that people GET how good this is.” Watching Hidden Figures was one of those times I thought that, and it was about the screenplay in particular. Because without that – the movie could have suuuuucked. They did it right. They made no mistakes.

         So I am very happy it got acknowledged for that.

         Reply
     • mutecypher says:

       January 22, 2017 at 5:55 pm

       Jessie – That is an awesome song.

       Reply
       • Jessie says:

         January 23, 2017 at 10:21 pm

         Aw yis, glad you liked it!

         Reply
3. Audrey says:

   January 21, 2017 at 5:03 pm

   I love this post. There are entirely too many women listed with whom I’m unfamiliar, which means research and educating myself, which is always fun. Love it, love it, love it.

   Side note: I’m very glad Kristen Stewart was included. Her work in “Camp X-Ray” and “Clouds of Sils Maria” alone sets her apart and I’m super glad you’ve taken notice. ALSO praise hands for the inclusion of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Margaret Atwood, and Mary Oliver!

   … Second side note: Seeing Katie Sarife and Joy Regullano here made me smile so big. What a great post.

   Reply
   • sheila says:

     January 22, 2017 at 7:30 am

     Audrey – I love coming across things/people I’ve never heard of too and researching them. It’s such an enriching experience.

     and in my humble opinion, Kristen Stewart is the best thing going right now. Practically hands down. She is MAJOR. Her next movie hasn’t opened yet but it’s amazing – I would have put it on my Best of 2016 list if it had opened in time – it’s Olivier Assayas’ next movie – and second collaboration with Stewart after Clouds of Sils Maria (which I so agree with you – amazing work from her) – anyway, the new movie is called Personal Shopper. She’s incredible.

     Glad to see another Mary Oliver fan! Boy have her poems helped get me through some rough times.

     // Seeing Katie Sarife and Joy Regullano here made me smile so big.//

     I just love them both so much!! They are so in sync, such a partnership – just FABULOUS!!

     Reply
     • Audrey says:

       January 24, 2017 at 10:17 pm

       I read somewhere that “Personal Shopper” got booed at Cannes, which means I must watch it, on top of your praise and Kristen Stewart’s involvement. Very excited!

       Mary Oliver’s “Blue Horses” is my favorite book of poems. Absolutely amazing. I also own her guide to writing poetry, along with y’know some wishful thinking.

       Agreed!!

       Reply
       • sheila says:

         January 25, 2017 at 9:09 am

         I don’t have Oliver’s guide to writing poetry – I should check that out!

         I can’t believe Personal Shopper was booed at Cannes. Cannes is so weird that way! It’s fantastic – and extremely spooky. Stewart is 100% believable.

         It’s funny – I just interviewed someone from the Actors Studio for a piece I’m working on – this is a man I’ve known for 20 years. I studied with him for many years. and he raved about Kristen Stewart. This is a man who worked with Maureen Stapleton and Geraldine Page, who knew Brando and Dean (he’s 81 years old) – and he said he’s more excited about Kristen Stewart than he’s been about anyone else in a long long time.

         I was like, “RIGHT??”

         Reply
         • Audrey says:

           January 25, 2017 at 5:23 pm

           “Rules for the Dance”, it’s all about writing meter and verse. I actually had to buy it for a class and am glad I did!

           That’s awesome! That guy sounds like he’s an amazing interview. The fact that people are celebrating her and embracing her work just makes me happy. I’m still not over “Clouds of Sils Maria”, it’s one of my favorite movies of all time. If her performance is anything like that in “Personal Shopper”, then heeeeeeeell yes!
         • sheila says:

           January 26, 2017 at 7:35 am

           // I’m still not over “Clouds of Sils Maria”, //

           I know. That movie haunts me.
         • sheila says:

           January 26, 2017 at 7:37 am

           Personal Shopper has some similarities – which are fascinating, considering it’s the same director. He seems to be working something out, in his love for Stewart – he seems to like seeing her in a more submissive role, a highly capable woman who is a sidekick to someone much more powerful – an employee, in other words. A woman working for another woman who has enormous power and charisma.

           I was truly freaked out by Personal Shopper – and the whole thing is grounded by Stewart’s performance. She’s so damn good.
4. Jessie says:

   January 21, 2017 at 5:12 pm

   Thank you. Sorely needed.

   Reply
5. shahn says:

   January 21, 2017 at 7:03 pm

   …and the most influential woman in my life, Judy Blume.
   Thank you for this.

   Reply
6. Bethany says:

   January 21, 2017 at 10:21 pm

   Thank you, Sheila. This was glorious.

   Reply
7. Debra T. says:

   January 22, 2017 at 6:37 am

   As I was scrolling down I kept thinking will she be on it..and she would be. Over and Over.
   Thanks

   Reply
8. Brooke A L says:

   January 22, 2017 at 10:23 am

   This list is INSANE!! I was just happy to see Dietrich and Paglia but I kept thinking, “I wonder if she added so and so…” and you did! Setsuko Hara (in Late Spring no less) and Jean Stapleton!!! There are so many great photos in here. I love the one of Liz playing pool, Viola Davis, Diane Arbus, Jane Fonda, I LOVE the Lauren Bacall photo on the cover of Harper’s. Stunning. Love the Charlize Mad Max gif and the Gilda gif! I FINALLY saw Gilda this past week… not at a theatre but on a big screen at a bar. I asked my friend if it was the Criterion release (it was), and I looked in the booklet just to say, “Sheila O’Malley wrote this!”. You must be so proud. Gilda is something else. Hayworth is a goddamn force.

   Reply
   • sheila says:

     January 22, 2017 at 3:08 pm

     Setsuko Hara! I just love her so much. and Jean Stapleton!!! Yes! I just did another Criterion booklet for the movie Something Wild – and Jean Stapleton has a small role as the boozy prostitute who lives next door. Pre-All in the Family. She’s fantastic! SUCH a good actress!!

     I am so excited you just saw Gilda!!

     I was super proud to write thatGilda essay. It’s a pretty crowded field of writers in film noir. and I was happy that they “let me” focus a lot on Hayworth’s star power – and what she brought to it (which was mainly everything. Imagine that movie without her. ??? Not possible!)

     Thank you for your enthusiasm. This really was fun to put together. and finding the pics even funner. I had never seen the Tilda gif before – or the one of Liz playing pool!

     Reply
     • Brooke A L says:

       January 22, 2017 at 10:25 pm

       She looks so scary!! That’s what I meant when I told you on another post that she looked so intimidating to me… until I saw her in interviews where she seems totally different.

       Yes, Gilda. My god. Hayworth. She is stellar from beginning to end, but she goes sooo far across the line in that film. The “Who put the blame on mame” bit at the end is unlike anything I’ve seen, at least at that time. She just lets it rip and doesn’t give a shit. Her performance is dangerous because of that, and like some weird, sad celebration? I don’t even know how to describe it. Like a descent or a free fall into something very dark and magical. It’s such a bizarre film, a really odd noir.

       Setsuko Hara in Late Spring. Her performance haunts me. It’s one that has marked me (Lynn Carlin is another one. But FACES is a whole other story, another one that haunts me). I’m almost traumatized by it. And Jean Stapleton. I honestly haven’t seen her in anything besides AITF, which is a shame, and I need to rectify that. But I LOVE AITF, I have since I was a teenager, and through my twenties, but in the last year or so it has really dawned on me how exceptional it was – the writing, the acting, the relationships and how they dealt with race, class, and all the isms with humour, complexity, and depth. Every episode she just goes beyond, but there’s one where, when I even just think about it for a second, I start to cry. In the span of a minute or so where she starts and ends in the performance blows my mind every time. She was extraordinary as Edith. When Norman Lear was struggling with the idea of killing off the character, Jean said to him that she was “just a character”, and he said, “not to me she isn’t”. There you go. I know how he felt.

       Reply
       • sheila says:

         January 23, 2017 at 6:28 pm

         Brooke:

         // Her performance is dangerous because of that, and like some weird, sad celebration? //

         God, I know. Just an unforgettable scene. I think I wrote in my piece that that scene is super sexy – but also tragic – especially when she invites all the men up onstage to unzip her dress. This is 1946. It’s a commentary on what’s REALLY going on – kind of the ugly underbelly of what she represented. I don’t know how the hell she pulled that off.

         So fascinating that you put Setsuko Hara and Lynn Carlin together – I am also haunted by both of them and those two performances in particular. The fact that Carlin was a secretary? a PREGNANT secretary? and Cassavetes liked her so gave her that part and then she’s THAT good? and painful? Amazing.

         I so agree with you about All in the Family. I watch episodes now and it feels so DANGEROUS. Like, it just could not be done now. I mean, South Park gets away with that kind of vicious satirical commentary – but it’s not the same thing at all. I mean, people are fired or suspended for making a bad joke on Twitter. and something about All in the Family – just puts it all OUT there, to discuss, make fun of, criticize – It was just such an extraordinary show.

         and she is so brilliant. She could make you howl with laughter and also break your heart. The scene where she has to tell Archie that she was almost raped – I mean, I have goosebumps just thinking about it. His work, too. I mean, who was more brilliant than him?

         It’s an acting FEAST, that show.

         Reply
9. Pat says:

   January 22, 2017 at 1:06 pm

   I was so happy to see Edie Sedgwick on this list – I read her biography (by Jean Stein) in my early 20’s and became obsessed with her and the time period when she was happening.

   Reply
   • sheila says:

     January 22, 2017 at 3:11 pm

     Pat – I had a similar experience with Edie Sedgwick! I love that you did too!

     I read that Jean Stein book in my senior year in high school and became completely obsessed. She just had that “It” factor. You can tell.

     Reply
10. Barb says:

    January 22, 2017 at 1:22 pm

    Overwhelming list, it’s just amazing! I love the way you’ve put the images together, so that some of them comment on each other across time. Goldie Hawn to Cyndi Lauper, for example.

    To add? Melinda Dillon? Jennifer Jason Leigh and Phoebe Cates? Patsy Cline? June Carter Cash? Esther Rolle? Alison Blechdel? Joelle Carter? Nichelle Nichols?

    Concidentally, I stayed up way too late last night watching Jackie Brown, maybe my favorite Tarantino flick, so I was drawn to Pam Grier’s gif in your list! All those tight close ups of Jackie’s face, the way she smokes, the way she seems to let her guard down listening to the Delphonics – man alive! I could watch that movie with the sound off and just stare at her.

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      January 22, 2017 at 3:17 pm

      Barb – thank you for noticing my truly obsessive photo-placement. There was a method to my madness. (“Okay, so I need to put the three similar poses together where the girls are wearing saddle/tennis shoes …” I mean, it got to that level). But it was fun!

      Phoebe Cates!!! Patsy Cline! Esther Rolle! Yes!!

      I definitely should have done the Carter family girls! – and I just heard the sad news that Maggie Roche died – and I haven’t thought of the Roches in years but we were really into them in college. Do you remember them? If I ever add to this list, they will be on it.

      and oh man, Jackie Brown. You can just tell how in awe Tarantino is of her in the way he films her. Which is just as it should be.

      There’s a great anecdote in a book about Cary Grant. He had seen Pam Grier in one of her big blaxploitation movies and became totally obsessed with her. He saw Foxy Brown multiple times, and he would say to his assistant, or his chauffeur, whoever it was who was coming with him to the theatre – “Come along now, we can’t keep Miss Grier waiting.”

      I just find that so charming and beautiful.

      As my friend Felicia says, “Game recognizes game.”

      Reply
      • sheila says:

        January 25, 2017 at 9:02 am

        Isn’t that the best? Miss Grier!!

        Oh yeah – Crossing Delancey! It’s been years since I’ve seen it and I totally forgot that they did the soundtrack.

        Reply
      • Bill Altreuter says:

        March 8, 2018 at 12:07 pm

        I went and downloaded a photo of Maggie, Suzy and Terri just in case.
        This whole thing made me smile for the entire time I was scrolling, and sometimes I laughed aloud. wonderful

        Reply
        • sheila says:

          March 8, 2018 at 4:07 pm

          Thanks, Bill!

          Reply
11. Old Timey says:

    January 22, 2017 at 2:31 pm

    Wonderful list. I have much historical reading ahead of me! Please keep updating the list as this could be a very valuable website for starting educational discussions!

    May I be so bold as to ask you to post the following?
    Joan of Arc
    Mother Theresa
    Mary Stuart aka Mary Queen of Scots
    Linda Hamilton
    Oprah Winfrey
    Madonna
    Lady Gaga

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      January 22, 2017 at 3:04 pm

      “Old Timey” –

      // May I be so bold as to ask you to post the following?// It’s not that kind of list. It’s not put together by a group. It is a list put together by me. There are a couple of people on your list that I would never ever include on my own. So no, those names don’t belong on mine. But thank you for sharing yours!

      Reply
12. Nicola says:

    January 22, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    I’ve gone over this list a few times now. Hot damn, I’m fired up. This weekend has been amazing even from my outside the US point of view.

    And as always, super stoked to see Kristen Stewart. She’s pretty much my favourite anything right now. She was just at Sundance promoting a short she wrote and directed. So excited for any new work she’s putting out. (Also spoke about Trump’s bizarre obsession with her a few years back. *shudders*)

    I think I’ll do a list of my own tomorrow.

    Reply
    • Nicola says:

      January 24, 2017 at 1:25 am

      Kristen Stewart
      Elizabeth Warren
      Elizabeth Gaskell
      Michelle Obama
      Meryl Streep
      Etta James
      Patti Smith
      Tina Fey
      Charlotte Brontë
      Tilda Swinton
      FKA twigs
      Viola Davis
      Dakota Johnson
      Marion Cotillard
      Sofia Coppola
      Emma Stone
      Joan Jett
      Lorde
      Nina Simone
      Sarah Paulson
      St. Vincent
      Tavi Gevinson
      Miley Cyrus
      Brie Larson
      Missy Elliott
      Mindy Kaling
      Katy Perry
      Louisa May Alcott
      Katharine Hepburn
      Kate McKinnon
      Maya Rudolph
      Julie Andrews
      Deborah Kerr
      Scarlett Johansson
      Carrie Fisher
      Jennifer Lawrence
      Aretha Franklin
      Emma Thompson
      Everybody who participated in the Women’s march
      You

      I had to stop myself.

      Reply
      • sheila says:

        January 24, 2017 at 6:41 am

        Aw, your last entry really touched me – thank you!

        Brie Larson! St. Vincent! I love them!

        It’s interesting you mention Dakota Johnson – I’m reviewing Fifty Shades Darker – which comes out next month. I never saw Fifty Shades of Grey so I just watched it a couple of days ago.

        Jamie Dornan, first of all, was so good in The Fall – which I just binge-watched last month – so I enjoyed watching him work, although the character he played in The Fall was far more interesting. But what was so interesting to me about Dakota Johnson is that despite the material – I mean, honestly, the movie is pretty bad – her sense of humor canNOT be repressed. I was very impressed by that. I have no idea who she is as a person – I loved her in Bigger Splash – but there, she had a good script to deal with. It’s very telling when an actress can survive a BAD script. Anyone can be good with a good script. She has one moment in 50 Shades where she’s drunk and she calls up Mr. Grey from a nightclub. He says something to her, and she says, “You hit the hail on the ned!” One of those moments in life that we all have where you say the wrong words or mix something up – and she did it so naturally that it looked real. It didn’t seem like a forced joke. It just seemed like she was drunk and trying to say something and couldn’t get it out.

        Also: to maintain your natural sense of humor in a dreary film like that – where your character is not written to be funny at ALL – is no small thing!! She’s kind of riveting.

        Reply
13. Amy says:

    January 23, 2017 at 12:49 am

    Tina Fey
    Tracee Ellis-Ross
    Georgia O’Keefe
    Carole King
    Stockard Channing
    Julia Child

    Reply
14. Clary says:

    January 23, 2017 at 8:13 am

    Hi Sheila
    What a post!! Love it! I must begin reading about many of them! So many different women, so many options!
    I would add Wisława Szymborska, her poem The End and the Beginning makes me think after Syria’s war, there will be women cleaning right now:
    After every war
    someone has to clean up.
    Things won’t
    straighten themselves up, after all.

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      January 23, 2017 at 6:32 pm

      Oh my God, Clary, that poem. I am not familiar with this poet – I will rectify that immediately.

      Reply
15. sheila says:

    January 24, 2017 at 6:43 am

    Peter – Oops, thank you for catching that. Will fix!

    I love that movie so much too. I felt the same way – it was like a dream. I reviewed for Ebert.

    I am so looking forward to her next film.

    Reply
16. Peter says:

    January 24, 2017 at 3:48 pm

    Great list. I feel to google all women in this list who I don’t know.
    My two favorites are Britney Spears and Edith Head! I miss Janis Joplin though.

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      January 25, 2017 at 9:00 am

      Have fun Googling!

      I have always been a fan of Brit-Brit from Day One! I really like her latest album too!

      And – sadly – I’m not a fan of Janis. I appreciate her contributions to music and her stature, but she’s just not my thing. I’m glad she’s yours, though!

      Reply
17. Mancuso says:

    February 14, 2017 at 1:06 am

    By the time I got to Nina Simone I was bawling. Bawling. And I’m a 50-year old straight white guy. This list is just magic.

    Reply
18. HelenaG says:

    March 8, 2018 at 9:15 am

    I love that every year that you post this list, you add new names (and striking images). Quite a few new ones this year, I thought, if memory serves me…

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 8, 2018 at 9:20 am

      Yes!

      Reply
19. Barb says:

    March 8, 2018 at 3:26 pm

    Hello, June Carter! Hello, all you gorgeous and amazing women of Supernatural! And, Amy Acker, too! Great to see this list, Sheila– May it grow every day.

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 8, 2018 at 4:06 pm

      Barb – Thanks!

      It occurs to me I should put Ellen and Jo on too!! I don’t know why I didn’t. The original Supernatural women!

      I love Amy Acker so much!

      Reply
      • HelenaG says:

        March 8, 2018 at 11:15 pm

        Perhaps you may want to check out Angel (the Buffy spinoff) some time. Such a great show, and Amy Acker’s performance there is to die for. I agree that she is wonderful.

        Reply
        • sheila says:

          March 9, 2018 at 8:18 am

          I’ve heard a lot about Angel. I need to catch up with Buffy – in general. Like the X-Files, I completely missed the cultural phenomenon as it was happening in real time.

          Reply
          • Lyrie says:

            March 9, 2018 at 8:37 am

            I know you are so busy, but yes, you do! How I would have loved to have you and this space to discuss Angel when I first discovered it.
20. Jincy Willett says:

    March 8, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    I look forward to this every year! Such a great list.

    Question: No Elizabeth I?

    I love her. Then again, maybe I love Glenda Jackson and Helen Mirren playing her. Anyway, Best Monarch Ever

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 8, 2018 at 4:04 pm

      Jincy –

      I love that someone who is ON the list is commenting ABOUT the list. hahaha It’s so meta.

      You know, I really admire Elizabeth I as a leader … nerves of steel that one!! – and I totally love both of those performances too – but I think the reason she didn’t occur to me for list-inclusion is because of the Irish Question. My father would roll over in his grave if I put a British monarch on here. Just on principle! hahaha I’m sure some other people on this list had negative feelings a/b the Irish – or in general had opinions that don’t match up with mine – so I’m not being very consistent! Maybe I should put her portrait up below Grania the Pirate Queen – since the two of them had a very interesting personal interaction!!

      Reply
      • Jincy Willett says:

        March 9, 2018 at 12:21 pm

        I thought maybe that was it!

        Reply
        • sheila says:

          March 9, 2018 at 1:30 pm

          I have absorbed the ancient hatreds. I’m sure some of the English Renaissance poets I’ve listed here hated the Irish too although I haven’t investigated!

          Reply
21. Desirae says:

    March 9, 2018 at 2:26 am

    I love this list, and I love that it gets impossibly longer each year. What a collection of fabulous faces. Where else can you find Angelica Schuyler Church and Odetta in the same place?

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 9, 2018 at 8:19 am

      Thanks, Desirae. It is impossibly long! Ha! I was like, “Wait – how could I have forgotten Jane Langton???” (ad nauseum)

      Angelica was such a pistol.

      Reply
22. Scott Abraham says:

    March 9, 2018 at 11:49 am

    Seventy five swipe-ups to get to Irene Dunne. Was seriously gonna bum the day if she didn’t get some love.

    Reply
23. sheila says:

    March 9, 2018 at 11:56 am

    I don’t know her! Thanks for the rec!

    Reply
24. Jessie says:

    March 9, 2018 at 4:04 pm

    thank you again, another year! I love seeing the new names. So many inspirations on this list. This morning I am thinking about Natalie Portman — last night we watched Jane Got a Gun and although it’s not perfect I really admire her determination to Get It Done.

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 11, 2018 at 9:38 am

      Oh my gosh, yes, you have mentioned the Natalie Portman bent of your household and I love it. She definitely should be on here – I’ve been a fan since The Professional. Beautiful Girls may very well be my favorite. I haven’t seen Annihilation yet and I am very curious.

      Reply
      • Jessie says:

        March 15, 2018 at 6:43 pm

        ahaha oh no this Portman thing will be our legacy, it’s true. I’m not as obsessed as L but I find her a fascinating actor — I think she’s very very good (and getting better) but easily miscast, as she is in Jane Got a Gun. Obviously part of her persona is the austere, reserved thing and she excels in those performances (Black Swan, Jackie) — but people undervalue (and worse, dismiss) her facility with being absolutely present in moments of joy, curiosity, happiness — eg in ‘lesser’ roles like the Thor series. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Annihilation!

        Reply
        • sheila says:

          March 17, 2018 at 8:52 am

          //people undervalue (and worse, dismiss) her facility with being absolutely present in moments of joy, curiosity, happiness //

          One of my favorite performances of hers is in Beautiful Girls. I can’t imagine the reaction to that whole part of the film now – !!!! But in my recollection (it’s been a while) – the whole thing doesn’t come off as creepy – he’s drawn to her, because she’s that kind of person already. But I’d have to see it again.

          She was perfect in that movie.

          Reply
25. Hillary says:

    March 13, 2018 at 12:51 pm

    Damn! This has to be my new favorite list of anything, EVER. Thank you so much for putting them all together, especially for taking the time to group them the way you did.
    It flowed verrrrrry nicely.
    As I was scrolling I kept thinking— ‘Oh, I better see so-&-so on here’ and they would literally pop up! For awhile there I worried Joan Cusack didn’t make your cut lol. I love you for making this list. Especially for putting Tura on it! I’d like to add all the Russ Meyer Girls, certified American badasses. Now I’ve got lots of other names to research, thanks again!

    Reply
    • Hillary says:

      March 13, 2018 at 12:56 pm

      And by the way— that Cameron Diaz gif following the Bettie Page gif is perfect placement at its BEST!

      Reply
      • sheila says:

        March 13, 2018 at 1:15 pm

        Isn’t that hilarious?? I had another image of Cameron up – I love her – and then I was like … waaaaiit a minute … lemme see if there’s a gif of that Charlie’s Angels moment because it can go HERE.

        God bless all the gif-makers out there. I couldn’t do without them!

        Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 13, 2018 at 1:13 pm

      Hillary – thank you so much!! Thank you for endlessly scrolling!

      Tura is the best. I have a Tura refrigerator magnet, because of course, I want to look at her every morning when I go to get the orange juice. She gives me courage.

      Glad you enjoyed. It was fun to group the images together. It kinda just happened that way – or I’d start to notice themes in the images: white background, black background, people smoking, people crying, asymettrically placed faces, full-body shots legs akimbo, etc.

      I am sure I will keep tinkering. If new women occur to me – I’m putting them on!

      Reply
      • Hillary says:

        March 13, 2018 at 1:17 pm

        Fantastic. Glad to know this is a living, breathing list of inspiration.
        May it never be completed!

        Reply
        • sheila says:

          March 13, 2018 at 1:17 pm

          Who’d be on yours – besides the ones we’ve mentioned?

          Reply
          • Hillary says:

            March 13, 2018 at 1:28 pm

            Man, mannnny of yours. Bea Arthur for the win. Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Eartha Kitt. Kathleen Turner, Betty White, Edy Williams… gosh idk I could type for days. Your name would also make the cut! Really any woman being her authentic self, strong women speak to me.
          • sheila says:

            March 14, 2018 at 7:40 am

            Hillary – so nice, thank you!

            I really should just get an image of the Golden Girls all together, although Bea Arthur is my favorite. But that ensemble just can’t be beat. It’s some kind of weird magical alchemy that feels completely radical.
26. Hillary says:

    March 13, 2018 at 1:10 pm

    Forgot to mention— the great and powerful Kathleen Turner belongs on this list :)

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 13, 2018 at 1:11 pm

      Ha! I agree! She’s there!! She’s in the “crying” section.

      Reply
      • Hillary says:

        March 13, 2018 at 1:13 pm

        HOW DID I MISS HER?!

        Reply
        • sheila says:

          March 13, 2018 at 1:16 pm

          hahahaha That gif is kind of small compared with the GIANT CRYING LADIES who came before her.

          I love that moment in Romancing the Stone so much!

          Reply
          • Hillary says:

            March 13, 2018 at 1:22 pm

            Same. The backstory of RtheS was the spark that lit the writing fire for me. I’ve always written & loved film but never put them together until I heard the story of this script… Just a waitress with a screenplay. I don’t mean to romanticize her tragic end, but all of it— just magic.
          • Hillary says:

            March 13, 2018 at 1:33 pm

            Dianne Renee Thomas. Pitched the Romancing script to Michael Douglas and made her career. She later died in the Porche Douglas bought for her as a ‘thank you.’ Damn.
          • sheila says:

            March 14, 2018 at 7:40 am

            I love that Romancing the Stone was the spark for you!! That’s wonderful.
          • sheila says:

            March 14, 2018 at 7:41 am

            and wow – I do not know anything about that screenwriter. Thanks for the glimpse – off to Google to learn more.
27. Rick Shoemaker says:

    March 14, 2018 at 11:39 am

    http://www.sixtiesmusicsecrets.com/2017/08/31/whats-a-matter-baby/

    Hey Shelia, been reading you a long time, I also write a popular blog called sixtiesmusicsecrets
    One of your pieces caught my eye and I thought I’d send a link to a piece I wrote about one of my favorite girl singers…..Timi Yuro ! I thought you’d enjoy it and take a minute to check out my site
    Love the way you write Shelia, keep up the great work!
    Rick

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 14, 2018 at 12:01 pm

      Rick – thank you so much for the link, I will check it out!! and thanks for being a longtime reader – I always appreciate it.

      Reply
28. Melanie says:

    March 14, 2018 at 11:52 pm

    So many awesome ladies and I especially enjoyed the groupings and the flow from one group to the next.

    Reply
29. maedchenhaft says:

    March 16, 2018 at 3:28 pm

    thank you so much!!!

    Reply
30. gina in alabama says:

    March 12, 2019 at 10:58 am

    Florence “Pancho” Barnes
    Jacqueline “Jackie” Cochran
    Beryl Markham
    Lise Meitner
    Frida Kahlo
    Berthe Morisot
    Cecilia Beaux

    Reply
31. Donna Thomas says:

    March 12, 2020 at 3:30 am

    Great list. Just did an evening researching just one of your posts. The two UC Berkeley officers who noticed something off about a man and his two children in their office and end up solving the Jaycee Dugard. case.

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 14, 2020 at 8:32 am

      Donna – those two women are just HEROES to me. Have you seen the press conference they gave once the news broke? It’s about half an hour long, and they walk us through every choice they made, every observation they had – how they went with their gut that something was very wrong (although they had no idea just HOW wrong).

      They also didn’t know each other particularly well – they weren’t partners. One worked security, one was a cop. But they mind-melded through this experience.

      I just admire them both so much!

      Reply
      • sheila says:

        March 14, 2020 at 8:32 am

        Here’s the video of the press conference:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHkfsL52iYI

        Reply
32. regina Bartkoff says:

    March 8, 2021 at 9:18 am

    Sheila

    I was thinking about posting some of my heroes today but I felt I couldn’t post just one.
    Then I remembered your list and came over here and wondered if you posted it again. Yay! It’s growing! Not even halfway through I started laughing. This is so insane and out of control it’s so great! You would probably break fb if you posted this! Wonderful, inspiring post!

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 8, 2021 at 9:51 am

      Regina – hahaha It is literally insane – the page loads so slowly because it’s overwhelmed. Maybe I should break it up into Part and Part 2 because it’s A LOT. My site can’t handle it!!

      Reply
      • regina Bartkoff says:

        March 8, 2021 at 9:59 am

        Sheila

        “My site can’t handle it!!” hahaha! I love it.

        Reply
33. Brooke Thomas says:

    March 8, 2022 at 9:08 pm

    Oh my efing God. I don’t know why I haven’t seen this list before but thank God I’m seeing it now. Wow. Amazing. Frances Farmer, Sarah Megan Thomas, George Elliot! There were so many! I honestly can’t remember them all. All I know is that I LOVE WOMEN! xoxoxo

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 9, 2022 at 3:38 pm

      Swordfish!! So happy to “see you” here!

      Sarah Megan Thomas! Yay! so happy to hear you say her name. I admire her career so much – and her whole attitude towards the profession. like, I’m so HERE for what she’s about!

      // I honestly can’t remember them all. //

      hahahaha neither can I!

      Love you, friend!

      Reply
34. Bill Wolfe says:

    March 9, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    This was inspiring and more than a little humbling. Your choice of photos is stupendous – always unexpected and fresh and revealing of some deep aspect of the woman that the more conventional PR shots fail to reveal (or deliberately hide – presumably because of an assumption by the folks in charge that the public wouldn’t be able to handle the stronger images).

    Of all the choices, I somehow was most gratified by the inclusion of Michelle Meyrink. Her performance in Real Genius is one of my all-time favorites. That one and Jill Schoelin’s in The Stepfather are the two lost fantabulous performances from the 1980s by women who never again had a chance to show what they could do.

    Reply
    • sheila says:

      March 9, 2023 at 5:40 pm

      // Michelle Meyrink //

      Right?? I love that character so much and she meant a LOT to me in the 80s.

      and thanks! Picking photos is the funnest part of this yearly thing. and then there are little accidental photo-theme clusters – women lying on the ground! women smoking! women crying! – lol or they started as accidents and now I just find a photo and think “oh okay she’s crying, let me go find the crying section.

      Reply

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