25 of the Most Notable, Inspirational Moments From the 2017 ‘Glamour’ Women of the Year Awards

For 27 years, Glamour‘s been hosting its Women of the Year Awards—lauding pioneers, trendsetters, and innovators in philanthropy, entertainment, fashion, and the like. This year’s collection of extraordinary females included Serena Williams, Laverne Cox, and many more notable trailblazers.Here are the most inspiring moments (and women) of the night.

Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri was the first female artistic director of Christian Dior in 70 years. She was the brains behind those T-shirts that read “We Should All Be Feminists” Dior showed in its runway last year, according to Glamour.

Author and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lilly Singh introduced 18-year-old activist Muzoon Almellehan.

Diane von Furstenberg (left)—designer and Glamour‘s 2016 Woman of the Year—spoke with artist Cleo Wade.

Claudia Rankine, award-winning author, introduced honoree Solange Knowles.

Actress Zazie Beetz introduced some of the most influential women of the year and in history:Ibtihaj Muhammad: The first Muslim woman to compete in the Olympics for the United States while wearing hijab.
Sarah Weddington: Thought to be the youngest person to argue a case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. That case was Roe v. Wade.
Katie Couric: The first solo female to anchor a nightly news program.
Laverne Cox: The first transgender woman to be nominated for a primetime Emmy. It was for her role on Orange is the New Black.
Ruby Bridges: The first African-American child to desegregate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans.

After Mattel’s custom doll was revealed, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad said: “Barbie is every kind of woman now. When I was growing up, I didn’t have many options of dolls that looked like me. But today, we’re changing that.”

Representative Maxine Waters spoke onstage.

Cindi Leive, Dr. Jill Biden, and Joe Biden talked about finding purpose in work, relationships, and working hard to balance it all. Biden also spoke about his new memoir Promise Me, Dad.

Orange Is the New Black actress Uzo Aduba performed a live reading of Glamour 2016 Woman of the Year Nadia Murad’s memoir about escaping ISIS.

Sofia Coppola introduced Nicole Kidman to the stage.

Serena Williams introduced Gigi Hadid to the stage, and spoke of their long-time friendship.

Director Sofia Coppola introduced Nicole Kidman for being an award-winning actress.

The Resistance Revival Chorus performed onstage.

Samantha Bee, comedian, writer, and political commentator, was presented her award by Drew Barrymore. She’s the only woman in late-night television.

U.S. Olympic Medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad (left) and model/host Ashley Graham revealed the Ibtihaj Muhammad Barbie doll during the summit.

Chelsea Clinton, Laverne Cox, and Alex Wagner—CBS news anchor serving as moderator—discussed persisting and thriving in a world that’s pushing back on you.

Chloe X Halle performed during the ceremony.

Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour spoke onstage.

Anita Hill, Aly Raisman, Anna Cardenas, and Cameron Russell spoke out about their own stories of sexual harassment and assault in their fields.

Gigi Hadid was named one of Glamour’s 2017 Women of the Year. Serena Williams made the announcement and gave the model her award.

Model Ashley Graham also helped host the Summit.

Billy Eichner served as host of Glamour’s 2017 Women of The Year Awards.

The Black-ish actress posed this question when she took the stage: “What would it be like for women to completely own their own power?” She spoke out about breaking the definition of what it means to be successful, what it means to be a woman, and what it means to put yourself first.

Alison Moore, the Chief Business Officer of Beauty Collection at Condé Nast (far left), and Cindi Leive, Editor-in-Chief of Glamour magazine (far right), pose with firefighter Sarinya Sriksakul (third right) and fellow firefighters.