More Than The Oscars and Emmys: The Championing Women of Hollywood Who Aren’t Just Pretty Faces

Women have been at the forefront of the words “beauty” and “fashion,” but never “history” and “legacy”. This obviously shouldn’t be the case because the female population has a monumental cache of feats that have been consistently and constantly changing the world for the better.

Specifically, in Hollywood and the general entertainment industry, women have more often than not been reduced to demeaning roles and derogatory stereotypes since the time of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. While in recent times the industry has been embracing inclusivity, diversity, and progression, there’s still a very bright spotlight on the female fallacy that women are only “good for” the drama they end up in, their unconventional fashion choices, and most of all, their romantic lives and love escapades. 

It’s time to shift the limelight onto the civic initiatives and life-changing projects they have put their efforts into that deserve some much-needed air time.

Constance Wu

You’d probably know her from ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (2018), ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ (2015-2020), and ‘Hustlers’ (2019), but we bet you didn’t know she champions immigrant families by promoting active civic engagement within the community | The Miry’s List

Constance Wu besides being one of the biggest and brightest faces of Hollywood’s Asian-American genset has done groundbreaking work for civic engagement and social participation:

Dolly Parton

You’d probably know her as one of the most successful female country stars in the world with multiple songs in the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for over 70 years, but we bet you didn’t know she’s a philanthropist by heart for children’s education | Brightly

As one of the most legendary country icons in the world, Dolly Parton is less likely to be known for her multitude of charitable efforts and transformative initiatives than her chart-topping singles:

Yara Shahidi

You’d probably know her from ‘Grown-ish’ (2018), ‘Black-ish’ (2014-2022), and ‘The Sun Is Also A Star’ (2019), but we bet you didn’t know she spearheaded an organization to call for the youth to be registered and educated voters in America | Whereabout Studio

A rising star in Hollywood and a BET award winner, Yara Shahidi is one of the youth activists we are blessed with in the industry. At only 18 years old, she has spearheaded multiple campaigns and foundations to support her cause of voter education:

Alicia Keys

You’d probably know her as the female lead behind the smash-hit ‘Empire State of Mind’ (2009) and a 15-time Grammy-winning pianist, singer, songwriter, and producer, but we bet you didn’t know she supports the HIV-positive mother and children community with grit and candor | Renae Wootson / Billboard

She’s the iconic triple threat of singer-songwriter-producer in the 21st century and has made her name and game known in the music industry as one of the most legendary musicians, Alicia Keys has a deep connection with philanthropic efforts that we might not know about:

Selena Gomez

You’d probably know her from Disney’s ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ (2007-2012), the voice behind hits like ‘Come & Get It’ (2013), or maybe even recent drama, but we bet you didn’t know she funds LGBTQ+ initiatives, speaks in mental health forums, and a co-chair in a pro-voting foundation | Kevin Winter / Getty Images

The name behind revolutionary make-up brand Rare Beauty, a maker of our Disney Channel childhood, and (unfortunately) still the victim of social media scrutiny by industry peers and celebrity news outlets, Selena Gomez isn’t just “Justin Bieber’s ex”, she’s one of the most active faces behind mental health:

Click the links to learn more about each organization, foundation, project, and initiative that has been slowly but surely taking steps to make the world a better place.

Header image courtesy of USA TODAY

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