empowering woman

Sponsor Urban Outfitters teamed up with Teen Vogue editors to create a series of empowering tote bags, shirts, hoodies, and buttons. The products were adorned with phrases such as "Resist the Gaslight" and "This is what a Teen Vogue reader looks like."

Leading up to the December summit, Teen Vogue hosted a series of meet-ups in five cities around the country. Each event had a video booth that asked attendees—most of whom were young women—to explain how they plan to change the world.

At the Pandora Sounds Like You: Summer concert, held in Los Angeles in July, feminine product brand Always created the Always Empowerment Wall. Guests were invited to write messages of women’s empowerment, then take photos to share on social. Always also activated in the women’s bathroom, placing custom decals on the mirrors and handing out samples.

Danielle Gibson Events holds a regular event series called Take Time to Toast, which is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs and toasting accomplishments of those in nontraditional work roles. The February edition, held at Stable Cafe in San Francisco, had a "Galentine’s Day" theme. A “Collaboration Station” featured a bag for each attendee, each of which was hand-calligraphed by Blushtype with her name, title, and business. Next to the wall was a candy station by CandyClub with branded valentines that included phrases such as “I want to take time to toast you” or "You're the best* thing in my life (*besides Rosé).” Guests were encouraged to fill a small candy bag and write a card to another attendee.  “Some attendees also took this opportunity to drop their business cards into the bags and spread the word of their own business,” said Shaina Braun, an event coordinator at Danielle Gibson Events. “It was a nice icebreaker to start the event and a great way to get to know the other women in attendance. At the end of the night, each attendee brought their bag home with them and got to open up lots of love and girl-power messages.”

Sophia Amoruso’s company Girlboss hosted the second Girlboss Rally at Industria Studios in New York in November. The event brought together top female entrepreneurs including Ashley Graham, Elaine Welteroth, Leandra Medine, and Whitney Wolfe, plus 600 attendees from 14 countries. Decor from the Gathery included a pink-lit hallway with hanging signs that said “No-Shame Zone,” “Start Your Own Shit,” and other inspiring phrases.

The sold-out Girlboss rally also had inspirational phrases on the walls from prominent women such as Beyoncé and Maya Angelou.

At Refinery29’s 29Rooms in New York in Los Angeles, illustrator Jen Mussari designed hand-painted punching bags and gloves for a “The Future Is Female” installation. Electronic music artist Madame Gandhi created beats in the space that guests could turn on by punching the bags.

The Los Angeles edition of Refinery29's 29Rooms in December also featured messages of women's empowerment. A room from entertainer Lilly Singh presented women as superheroes and addressed the cycle of girl-on-girl hate. Refinery29 staffers acted as models for the painted work. Attendees were also invited to enter a phone booth and call a female friend to spread a message of love.

Both the New York and Los Angeles editions of 29Rooms collaborated with Planned Parenthood on a large-scale installation called “Bright Future,” which used bright neon signage to highlight women’s healthcare issues. Guests could also listen to stories from people who’ve been touched by the organization, as well as pledge their support.

Miami-based retail shop and event space Sparkle and Shine Darling hosted a female-focused event in January 2016. The Vision Board Soiree invited 200 women to create their own motivational vision boards with photos, quotes, magazine cutouts, and more. The boutique was transformed into a creative space meant to empower women of all ages, and guests could snack on cookies featuring phrases such as “She believed she could, so she did.”

In December in Los Angeles, AwesomenessTV and Gatorade welcomed local high school girls to a motivational workout class led by celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, actress Lea Michele, World Cup champion Julie Foundy, and TV host Rachel DeMita. The women led a conversation about how playing sports shaped who they are today, and workout area featured colorful lockers adorned with the phrase “Sisters in Sweat.”

In December, more than 500 young people gathered in Los Angeles for the inaugural Teen Vogue Summit: two days of activism and empowerment-theme talks from Hillary Clinton, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Women’s March organizer Paola Mendoza, poet and artist Cleo Wade, film director Ava Duvernay, and more. The event, which was designed and produced by 23 Stories, featured an eye-catching step-and-repeat that evoked buttons with inspiring, inclusive phrases such as "Women's rights are human rights" and "Love wins."

Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis, also known for her activism for women and girls, is an official partner of U.N. Women, working toward the United Nations’s goal of promoting gender equality and empowering women worldwide. She is the founder and chair of the nonprofit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which focuses on encouraging the creation of film and television for children that includes more female characters. In 2015, the star of Thelma and Louise, A League of their Own, and other iconic movies co-founded the Bentonville Film Festival, which supports content creation by women and diverse voices. Her agency, CAA, provides fee information upon request.

Girlboss Media C.E.O. and founder Sophia Amoruso has created a female-centric brand that provides a podcast known as Girlboss Radio. The New York Times best-selling author of #Girlboss also initiated Girlboss Rally this year, a conference that drew 500 women. Amoruso is represented by WME Speakers, which provides pricing on request.

Following a long career in movies and on television, Robin Wright is perhaps most familiar for her current Golden Globe-winning turn as Claire Underwood on Netflix's House of Cards. But she also works as a philanthropist, and in 2014 launched Pour Les Femmes, a socially conscious sleepwear line. The brand, also overseen by a clothing designer, has partnered with two organizations dedicated to helping provide the assurance of safety for women in the Congo who are victims of violence. Her agency, CAA, provides pricing upon request.

As the first female executive editor in the 160-year history of The New York Times, Jill Abramson made headlines both when she was appointed in 2011 and when she was fired three years later. Now a lecturer on non-fiction narrative writing at Harvard University, she previously held other senior editorial positions at The Times, as well as the Wall Street Journal, and also has taught at Yale and Princeton. She speaks to issues surrounding women in the workplace, including pay inequality. Abramson’s agency, WME Speakers, provides prices on request.

Jailed and beaten at the age of 16 in her native Iran for wearing a mini skirt, Tala Raassi fought back by creating her own eponymous clothing label in the United States. Named one of the “most fearless women in the world” by Newsweek, she speaks about female empowerment, motivation, freedom of choice, success, and more. Represented by the Goodman Speakers Bureau, Raassi’s fee is under $15,000.

Marcus wrote the book on women getting ahead at work—literally. The author of the Politics of Promotion: How High-Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead speaks on coping with gender bias, the nature of ambition, and how women already in leadership positions can maintain their roles. The executive coach is represented by Promenade Speakers Bureau, with a fee of $10,000 plus travel.