Lucy Morgan
“But it wasn’t long before she was pioneering her way through the corset-clad landscape, reshaping global views of South-Asian representation as she held her own on horseback, kicked ass at croquet and stoked the palatable tension on the ballroom floor as she quadrilled her way into our hearts in Netflix’s ‘diamond of the season’ – Bridgerton.”
She further described Simone as “tenaciously determined and absolutely divine”, which YES.
Accepting the award, Simone said, “Thank you Nicola. Your schedule is just so so busy, so thank you for being here to present for me. It means so much to me for you to be here, we’ve been on such a journey together. I really look up to you. I love you.”
CUTE.
Simone Ashley calls out everyday sexism and the importance of representation
When Simone speaks, the rest of the room (and the world) listens. During her incredible acceptance speech, she shared an example of her experience with day-to-day sexism.
“I was driving my car in London. My male best friend was in the car with me. I was struggling to park my car […] A man in a van drove past and decided to help me… giving me instructions. I started to get overwhelmed. His behaviour became more aggressive and intrusive […] I started to get a bit nervous. He looked at my male friend, put one arm up and then the other, puffed up his chest and said ‘YOU should be driving.”
“This was an example of me being told that I wasn’t good at something because I was a woman.”
Simone then delivered the following empowering message about the power of representation:
“To any little girl watching this, especially little girls with skin like mine. I hope that you can watch me and trust and understand that you do belong. You belong on this stage with me, with a microphone like this, so your voice can be heard loud and clear, and trust that I love the colour of my skin. I think it is strong. I think it is beautiful. I think it is so worthy, and I think it’s so capable.
“And to the same little girls, if anyone ever tells you that something is impossible because you’re a woman, I hope you can look in the mirror and put one arm up and the other one and puff up your chest and say, I can do it.”
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Cally Jane Beech: ‘Image-based abuse is a pandemic against women and girls’
Campaigner and influencer Cally Jane Beech is being honoured as GLAMOUR’S Activist of the Year at our annual Women of the Year Awards for courageously taking a stand against digitally altered, sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ of women and girls. Here, she speaks to GLAMOUR about her experience of deepfake abuse, how motherhood influences her activism, and why she’s calling on the government to protect all survivors of image-based abuse.
Chloë Bailey’s powerful speech about women uplifting the next generation
Next up, Chloë Bailey followed in her sister Halle‘s footsteps by winning a GLAMOUR Women of the Year Award. Accepting her award for ‘Musician of the Year’, she said:
“Since first starting this journey with my sister Halle as just a girl, to now a woman producing, writing, engineering, and performing my own solo music, this job has seen me realise unimaginable dreams.
“But I know all this means nothing if we don’t reach back and bring the next generation of women along with us. Part of being able to do that is by being an example of what’s possible, being a representation that as a woman, we can make, record, and perform our own music. We can go to space. We can see ourselves on the big screen. We can make advancements in science, healthcare, and education, and yes, we can even be the President one day.”
Cally Jane Beech calls for Image-Based Abuse law
Cally Jane Beech is GLAMOUR’s Activist of the Year for her powerful work advocating for better laws on image-based abuse after her own traumatic experience with deepfake abuse. In her acceptance speech, she said, “I feel a deep responsibility to raise awareness and fight for change. We cannot allow technology to violate our privacy and dignity. We need stronger laws and more accountability.