Making History in 2023: 10 Creative Women We Can’t Get Enough Of

March 2023 isn’t just about women in history but also about women making history in 2023! Historical data can inspire greater exploits, and women have been fighting the societal mold that suppresses their opportunities and potentials for years.

Although there’s still much work to be done, it’s safe to say that women are no longer taking the backseat or staying silent about their beliefs, values, and achievements in 2023. Women around the globe of different ages and races are not just breaking the bias but also questioning the status quo and redefining societal standards.

Here are ten women making history in 2023 as phenomenal personnels in creative industry.

1. Coach Sydney Carter

The 32 year old basketball star has been turning heads on and off the court. With her bold fashion Statement, and refusal to bulk under the “professional sport outfit” pressure, Coach Sydney is making a loud statement. Former WNBA star is the current director of player development at Texas A&M. Following the clap backs on her bright hot pink pants look on February 7 game day, the Texas A&M coach was definitely not backing down. On a call with Shondaland, she replies “It was in support of breast-cancer awareness”. She further stressed in other interviews on the importance of not being repressed by societal double standard of “professionalism” for women. It’s a culture shift for sure, shocking to some, but applauded by several high flying sport figures and celebrities.

2. Justina Miles

The 20-year old Nursing student is making history in 2023 as the first deaf woman to perform at the super bowl Halftime show and she turned it up! Her American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation of Rihana’s halftime performance was so energetic, it went viral in one night!

She also went viral for doing an ASL cover of the Lil Kim’s Song “Crush on You” in 2020, and won a silver medal for the 4×100 women’s relay race at the 2022 Deaflympics in Brazil. 

3. Source: Today.com

   Ashley Graham

Now this didn’t happen in 2023, but it sure deserves to be celebrated again! Pioneering Model and Entrepreneur made history as the first size 14 model to be featured in the Sport Illustrated Swims. She’s making history by redesigning popularly accepted beauty standards. She also received a major beauty contract as the first curvy model of her generation. 

In her words “we’re all beautiful no matter what society or societal pressure says” . In an industry where beauty standards are streamlined to a size 0 to 4, Ashley Graham is making history by breaking societal bias against curvy women.

Since January 2023, she’s had a fully packed schedule, with February and March full of trips from New York City, Milan, London, and Paris for fashion month. She was also very busy on the Oscars’ champagne carpet, conducting pre-show interviews. We are definitely excited to see more of her in the coming days!

4. Domee Shi

The director of the short film Boa and the 2022 feature film Turning Red is turning heads with the awards she’s bagging in 2023. As the first woman to direct a short film and the first female to receive director’s credit at Pixar, Domer Shi is making history in 2023. Born in Chongqing, China, Domer is known as a Canadian screenwriter, director, and animator. In an interview, she described the award-winning feature film Turning Red, saying, “This film is one of the first, if not the first film, at least from Pixar that really shines a light on and highlights the Chinese Canadian community.” With her outstanding achievements in her 12 years of experience as a storyboard artist at Pixar, she is setting a new pedestal for women in animation to rise.

5. Candace Parker

Since her debut dunk as a high school basketball player at 15, Candace Parker has been laying the foundation for a phenomenal career in women’s basketball. And she’s done it again! At the NBA All-Star games, the Lady Vols’ Las Vegas star is making history in 2023 as the first female sports analyst to call the game at an NBA All-Star game. Several leading voices in women’s sports were definitely not hiding their excitement. In her own words, “representation and opportunity matter,” and we couldn’t agree more.

6. Michelle Yeoh

Sources say she went from Bond girl to Oscar Award-winning actress just like that! Although Michelle Yeoh’s rise to fame began in Hong Kong, where she starred in several action movies, she’s never been limited to that space. The Malaysian-born actress is making history in 2023 as the first Asian performer to be awarded a Best Actress Oscar in 95 years. Wow! That’s huge. Her role as the lead in the 2022 sci-fi adventure movie Everything, Everywhere, All at Once earned her these accolades.

7.   Angela Bassett

The sensational actress Angela Bassett is a screen legend and has been acing roles on TV since 1984. From her minor roles in the Cosby Show to her legendary performance in Black Panther, Angela Evelyn Basset has bagged over 50 awards and 116 nominations. 2023 brought more awards for the actress. At the NAACP Awards, she was celebrated as the recipient of Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Motion Picture for her role in the series Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

She is making history in 2023 through the same role in Black Panther by being the first woman nominated for an Oscar for a Marvel film. Talk about lifetime success!

8. Tems

When it comes to firsts, Nigerian singer and performer Temilade Openiyi is channeling her phenomenal inner black woman energy, and winning it all! Till date, the 27 year old music artist is making music history in  2023 globally. We’re going to need a list for this.

1. In 2023, Tems made history as the first Nigerian artist nominated for an Oscar for her contribution to the theme music of “Wakanda Forever” by Rihanna, “Lift Me Up.”
2. Tems also became the first Nigerian and African female musician to win the BET Awards’ Best International Act in 2022.
3. The Essence singer also made history in 2022 by being the first Nigerian artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her feature on Future’s “Wait For U.”
4. In the same year, Tems made history as the first female artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard US Afrobeat song charts with her single “Free Mind,” which had no feature.
5. Furthermore, the singer became the second female Nigerian artist to win a Grammy award in the “Best Melodic Rap Performance” category for her role in Future’s hit song “Wait for U,” featuring Drake.

Wow! That’s a whole lot of achievement.

9. Marsai Martin

The 16 year old actress, producer, and business tycoon just officially received her Guinness World Record Award for being the youngest producer of a major Hollywood movie. She got this award for her outstanding movie, Little, starring Issa Rae and Regina Hall. In her words “I done broke a record”. Her major boss moves perhaps brought her to the heart of former First Lady Michelle Obama, as the duo worked on the Obama Foundation, co-directing the documentary “Get Her There”. Not an award, but definitely a legendary achievement for an 18 year old. Currently her award count is up to 11, and she has no intention of stopping there! 

10. Germaine Franco

Another woman making history in 2023 is from the Visual Media Category, Grammy Awards. Germaine Franco bagged the award for best score soundtrack for visual media at the Grammys, she emerged as the first woman of color to win that award. Her Composition for the Disney animated film “Encanto”.

As the only woman nominated in that category, Germaine’s Columbian-flavored music outperformed scores from “The Batman,” “No Time to Die,” “The Power of the Dog,” and season 3 of “Succession” in the same category.

These 10 women listed barely scratched the surface of great achievements of women making history in 2023, but we hope their stories stir you up to be the best version of yourself. Keep showing up for what you believe. You got this!