Womanica

Aouta Kéita (1912-1980) was a Malian midwife, political activist and writer. She was one of the first women in French West Africa to become a professionally trained midwife. She was an activist and supporter of independence and women's rights, and the first woman to serve in Mali's National Assembly. Her autobiography is considered a landmark feminist text in African literature. For Further...

Amy Winehouse (1983-2011) was an English singer-songwriter whose unique vocals and genre mixing made her a household name with just two albums in her career. For Further Reading:  Amy Winehouse: Biography, Musician, Grammy Winner Growing up with my sister Amy Winehouse Amy Winehouse, British Soul Singer With a Troubled Life, Dies at 27 Amy Winehouse Remembered: “Her intelligence astound...

Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) was one of the greatest Marxist thinkers of the 20th century. She was an economist, a speaker, socialist party leader, and writer on Marxism, the working class, and freedom. She helped found many socialist newspapers, the Polish Social Democratic Party, and the Spartacus League. Further Reading: Rosa Luxemburg  The Life of Rosa Luxemburg On January 15, 1919: Rosa Lu...

Yayoi Kusama (1929 - present) is a contemporary Japanese artist working across painting, sculpture, film, and installation. She has produced a body of work formally unified by its use of repetitive dots, pumpkins, and mirrors. She has been acknowledged as one of the most important living artists to come out of Japan, the world's top-selling female artist, and the world's most successful living art...

Joan Clarke (1917-1996) was a codebreaker for the British armed forces during World War II. Her work alongside famous computer scientist Alan Turing was pivotal in decoding Nazi communications and bringing the war to an end.  For Further Reading: Joan Clarke (1917 - 1996) - Biography - MacTutor History of Mathematics 100 Years Ago: Joan Clarke Joan Clarke, woman who cracked Enigma cyphers wit...

Hipparchia of Maroneia (c.300 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and one of the few women known to have actively participated in ancient philosophical discourse. A member of the Cynic school, she rejected wealth, societal expectations, and traditional gender roles to live a life of radical simplicity and public defiance alongside her husband, Crates of Thebes.  For Further Reading: Hipparchia the C...

Annie Hindle (c. 1840s - c. 1900s) was an actress, comic, and performer who was famous in American variety circuits in the late 1800s. Born in England, and making her name in the Music Hall scene there, she was known mainly as a male-impersonator, becoming the first to bring this performance style to American variety theaters. Annie was also much discussed in newspapers for her multiple marriages,...

Ōtake Kōkichi (1893-1966) was a feminist writer, artist, and activist in early 20th century Japan. She was a member of the Japanese Bluestocking Society, which aimed to promote women's rights through literature and education. She is regarded as a pioneer for queer feminism in Japan. For Further Reading: Otake Kōkichi — Making Queer History Otake Kōkichi 尾竹紅吉 | U-M LSA Center for Japanese...

Patti McGee (1945-2024) a pioneering American skateboarder who became the first female professional in the sport during the 1960s. She gained national fame after winning the 1964 National Skateboard Championship. In 1965, Patti appeared on the cover of LIFE magazine riding a skateboard in her signature move – a handstand – helping to popularize the sport. For Further Reading: Skateboar...

Toyen (1902-1980), born Marie Čermínová, was a gender-nonconforming Czech surrealist painter. They blurred boundaries not only of gender but of artistic form, producing erotically charged, dreamlike images that challenged both political oppression and societal taboos.  For Further Reading: One of a kind Mythic Being Toyen - Surreal/Radical Toyen Surrealist Oeuvre of Toyen: Fragm...

Dolores Huerta (1930-present) is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement. She helped found the organization now known as United Farm Workers and helped organize the Delano grape strike in 1965. She is credited for coming up with the rallying cry “Sí, se puede,” which means “yes, we can” in Span...

Jean Harlow (1911-1937) was an American actress known as the original “Blonde Bombshell.” She grew to stardom as an extra in silent films and early talkies, captivating audiences with her appearance. Her role as Lola in the 1933 film “Bombshell” popularized the term in Hollywood and the use of it to refer to a striking woman. This was a forerunner to the term "sex symbol,&r...

Kerima Polotan-Tuvera (1925-2011) was a Filipino fictionist, essayist, and journalist who coined the term “mani-pedi.” Her influence is felt in the Philippines as a writer and award-winning author, and worldwide through her work in shaping Philippine English. For Further Reading:  Kerima Polotan Tuvera: 85 Years of a life OED: mani-pedi Biggest-ever addition of ‘Filipino Eng...

Kasturba Gandhi (1869-1944) was an Indian political activist and leader in the movement for Indian Independence during British Colonial rule. She was married to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi). During her life participated in many civil disobedience campaigns and marches and did work to support women's welfare throughout her life. She is said to have been a key inspiration for Gandhi's...

Malak Hifni Nasif (1886-1918) was an Egyptian feminist, writer, and educator, known for her advocacy work for women's rights and education in the early 20th century. Often referred to as "The First Feminist of Egypt," she wrote about the importance of female education and the empowerment of women.  For Further Reading:  What Freedom Means: The Story of Malak Hifni Nasif - Radical Tea Tow...

Loretta Ross (1953 - present) is an activist who has dedicated her life to advancing women's rights. She helped coin the terms “women of color” and “reproductive justice,” providing the language that has allowed women across racial and ethnic backgrounds to organize collectively for their human rights and reproductive freedoms. For Further Reading: Biography: Loretta Ross &...

Enheduanna was a high priestess, poet, and princess of ancient Mesopotamia. She is widely considered the world's first known author by name. Her deeply personal hymns and poems, many dedicated to the goddess Inanna, mark the first time an author writes using the pronoun I.  For Further Reading: World History: Enheduanna The Earliest Known Author Was a Woman from Mesopotamia The World's First...

Judith Butler (1956-present) is a renowned philosopher and gender theorist best known for their groundbreaking work on gender performativity, introduced in the influential 1990 book Gender Trouble . Their ideas have shaped the fields of queer theory, feminist thought, and critical theory, challenging traditional notions of identity, power, and the body.  For Further Reading:  Judith Butl...

Laura Mulvey (1941-present) is a British film theorist, professor, filmmaker, feminist thinker, and writer. She is best known for her 1975 piece, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, which coined the term “the male gaze.” For Further Reading:  Laura Mulvey's Late Style Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema  Film Theory 101 – Laura Mulvey: The Male Gaze The...

Elinor Glyn (1864-1943) was a British novelist, screenwriter, and filmmaker known for her romantic fiction and contributions to early Hollywood cinema. She popularized the concept of "It" (a magnetic, irresistible quality) and is credited with creating the modern romance novel.  For Further Reading: Meet Elinor Glyn, “Shocker of Grandmothers” and Founder of the Modern Sex Novel In...

Arlie Hochschild (1940 - present) is an American sociologist known for her coining of the term “Emotional Labor.” In her 1983 book The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling , she first coined the term "emotional labor" to describe the process in which workers manage their emotions to fulfill the emotional requirements of their jobs. She also coined terms like “deep st...

Rābiʻa al-ʻAdawiyya al-Qaysiyya or Rabiʿa al-Basri (717-801 C.E.) is a highly regarded Sufi saint born in Basra, Iraq. Oral traditions and later written records suggest that she was also a poet. She is thought to be one of the first female Sufi saints and a key figure in developing Ishq-e-Haqeeqi or “divine love,” a central tenet in Sufism.  For Further Reading:  Rabia al Bas...

Jane Austen (1775-1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her novels which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry during the Regency era. She had a great influence on the first Oxford English Dictionary published in 1928 and is quoted over 1,600 times. For Further Reading:  The queen of modern slang: Jane Austen is revealed to have coined phrases we...

The Heroines of Jiangyong were women in rural China who made a secret language – Nüshu – to communicate with each other. Nüshu translates directly to “women's writing” and is a series of phonetic scripts. The practice is estimated to go back as far as the Shang Dynasty 1600 to 1046 BCE. For centuries it was the language of female defiance to the Chinese patriarchy...

Myra Laramee is a Cree/Métis teacher and Elder based in Winnipeg, Canada. She introduced the term Two-Spirit to better define queer identity under Indigenous people's terms.  For Further Reading: Agents of Change  Myra Laramee What Is Two-Spirit? Part One: Origins | CMHR This month, we're talking about Word Weavers — people who coined terms, popularized words, and even creat...