The twenty-third annual Glamour Women of the Year Awards last night honored a range of women and their accomplishments—from athlete Carissa Moore, for leading the way for women in the world of surfing, to entertainer-turned-activist-turned-everything Barbra Streisand , who received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Iman presented awards to Liya Kebede and Christy Turlington Burns for their work promoting maternal health around the world, and Karlie Kloss introduced Net-a-Porter's Natalie Massenet .
The awards have always been a feel-good night, but this year included some particularly poignant moments, one of which was a surprise performance by the Staten Island PS22 Chorus. They sang a Lady Gaga medley as the pop star took the stage to receive her award. "I was thinking, I'm going to be fine, I'm not going to cry," said Gaga, who is on the cover of the Women of the Year issue. "But then the kids started singing!" She continued: "As fabulous as this evening can feel, true glamour is in the ability to see the grotesque, the sad, and to ask what is really important…. If I could forfeit my cover, I would give it to Malala."
Honoree Malala Yousafzai was the victim of an assassination attempt last year, after standing up to Taliban rule and advocating education for girls. Surviving a gunshot wound to the head has transformed the 16-year-old into a global symbol for the power of peaceful protest. And with Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis , the Sandy Hook Elementary teacher who hid with her students in a bathroom during the shooting last year, also receiving awards, the evening had a strong anti-gun message.
"I believe that a gun has no power at all, because a gun can only kill, but a pen can give life," Yousafzai said with a charisma beyond her years. "Through our struggles, we can bring change."
—Todd Plummer
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