You likely spent the last year viewing every hilarious video that came your way—and no doubt they were all good for a few laughs. But when it comes to the newsmakers of 2014, these are the women who made us stop what we were doing and really tune in—for better or for worse.
1. Charlo Greene
During a segment on the Alaska Cannabis Club, on-air reporter Charlo Greene caused a stir when she not only revealed herself as the club's owner but announced her plans to dedicate herself full-time to the legalization of weed in Alaska with an emphatic "F**k it, I quit." Watch the NSFW clip below:
2. Amanda Seales
Chances are, you remember the viral video that documented 10 hours of street harassment to raise awareness for the non-profit Hollaback!. While this upsetting footage was a hot-button topic in the media, the most memorable face of the coverage was Amanda Seales, a comedian who went head to head with a man who attempted to argue that women liked street harassment on CNN. Not only did she shut him down with eloquent arguments, her facial reactions to his idiocy were priceless. Watch the video.
3. Brittany Maynard
We all followed terminally ill Brittany Maynard's heartbreaking and inspiring journey after she chose the day she would end her life via a lethal prescription drug combination. In her final weeks, she used her story to advocate for doctor-assisted suicide laws nationwide. Her life ended on November 1 as planned, but the conversation she sparked around the right-to-die movement certainly did not.
4. Shelly Sterling
Shelly's name might not immediately ring a bell, but trust us, you know who she is: the wife of Donald Sterling, a.k.a. the ex-owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who was banned from the NBA for life after private recordings of him making racist comments were made public. Shelly made us scratch our heads by not only defending her husband's racist comments but by coming out of the sale of the Clippers with some strange perks—at least, strange for the woman with continued ties to the man they fired. According to an AP report, Shelly received 10 percent of the money from the sale to fund the creation of a charity she would run, 12 tickets to every home game (including two courtside tickets), six parking spots for every home game, and three champions hip rings for any NBA title won by the Clippers. Most baffling, she became officially recognized as the "Clippers Number 1 Fan."
5. Sierra Sandison
Sierra Sandison—or, as you may know her, this year's Miss Idaho—was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes two years ago and completed an entire pageant, including the swimsuit portion, with an insulin pump visibly affixed to her hip. Her gutsy decision launched a hashtag called #showmeyourpump and inspired serious follower confidence. A photo of another brave woman, Bethany Townsend, also went viral this year—in it, Bethany is wearing a black bikini and sporting two colostomy bags.
6. Jasmine Tridevil
Jasmine Tridevil attracted headlines this year when she claimed she underwent plastic surgery to add a third breast in order to make herself less attractive to men. The whole thing turned out to be an elaborate hoax, but that doesn't mean we didn't tune in to watch the drama unfold.
#3Boobs #MTV pic.twitter.com/pzAkrsTYpz
— Jasmine Tridevil (@JasmineTridevil) September 15, 2014
7. Miriam Weeks
You might know her by her stage name, Belle Knox. Either way, you doubtless heard of the Duke University student earlier this year when she was outed as a porn actress by a porn-surfing male classmate who recognized her. What followed were tons of both supportive and shut-slaming articles, a tell-all, and a documentary, all dissecting Miriam's decision to do porn to help shoulder her $60,000-per-year tuition costs, as well as her rise in the industry.
8. Emma Sulkowicz
Columbia University student Emma Sulkowicz gained national attention with her powerful performance piece protesting sexual assault on campus. Her senior art thesis, titled “Carry That Weight,” involved carrying her 50-pound mattress wherever she went on campus to draw attention to her struggle and the struggle of other women who feel their universities have failed to adequately punish sexual assaults. Her project sparked a nationwide movement in support of survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
9. Ellen Page
The Internet basically exploded in praise of Ellen Page when she proudly came out during a speech at the Human Rights Campaign's Time to Thrive conference benefiting LGBT youth. "I'm here today because I am gay and because maybe I can make a difference, to help others have an easier and more hopeful time," she said. "Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility." Relive the moving speech:
10. Janay Rice
Janay, wife of football player Ray Rice, was thrust into the spotlight back in February when a video surfaced of her then-fiancé dragging her, unconscious, out of an elevator. Months later—after the couple married—the full video of the assault was released, depicting Ray punching Janay and knocking her out during an argument. After months of criticism for her choice to remain with him, Janay released her account of the story, which you can check out here.
11. Kaci Hickox
At the height of Ebola panic, one of the must-know stories was that of Kaci Hickox, a nurse who was quarantined upon returning from volunteering with Doctors Without Borders in West Africa. Kaci publicly fought against the 21-day quarantine policy for health workers returning to the U.S. from Ebola-affected countries, arguing that it was inhumane to keep her in isolation when she showed no symptoms and tested negative for the disease. She became known as "Ebola Nurse" in the media—despite never having Ebola, which she pointed out in an exasperated op-ed in which she asked people to drop the nickname.
12. Jill Abramson
When The New York Times fired their executive editor, Jill Abramson, the first-ever female to hold that position in the paper's 160-year history, controversy erupted over the reasons behind the public outing—did it have something to do with sexism?, people wondered. What followed was a hailstorm of discussions about women in journalism.
More from Women's Health:
9 Celebrity Breakups That Almost Made Us Stop Believing in Love
16 Times We Were Proud to Be Women in 2014
7 Couples Who Won the Internet in 2014
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