Glamour Names First Lady Michelle Obama, Stella McCartney and Rihanna Among 2009 Women of the Year

Glamour Names First Lady Michelle Obama, Stella McCartney and Rihanna Among 2009 Women of the Year

Dr. Maya Angelou Honored for Lifetime Achievement L'Oreal Paris Title Sponsor of Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Glamour magazine announces its annual Women of the Year tribute with 11 extraordinary and inspirational winners and one special-recognition honoree. Glamour's honorees have made unprecedented contributions to the worlds of entertainment, business, sports, fashion, science and politics. L'Oreal Paris is the title sponsor of the celebration at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

The 2009 Women of the Year are profiled in the December issue of Glamour, on newsstands November 10, with a stunning photo portfolio by renowned photographers, including Brigitte Lacombe and Matthias Vriens-McGrath. This evening's awards ceremony will be held at Carnegie Hall, with a star-studded list of presenters and a special musical performance by Estelle. This year, the Glamour Women of the Year Fund initiative has worked with the Jenzabar Foundation and its cofounder Ling Chai, a 1990 Women of the Year honoree, to create a scholarship that will allow Iranian women to study at universities in the United States. Glamour's Women of the Year advisory board, made up of past honorees ranging from Jennifer Lopez to Nora Ephron to Katie Couric, helped nominate:

   --  Dr. Maya Angelou - A memoirist, poet, educator and civil rights       activist, Dr. Angelou holds more than 30 honorary degrees for her many       published works, including her latest, Letter to My Daughter, a       collection of wisdom she has gathered throughout her life.   --  Dr. Jane Aronson - This pediatrician is credited with bringing the       plight of orphans to the world's attention. Her Worldwide Orphans       Foundation has provided life-altering support to more than 20,000       orphans around the globe; in her private practice, Dr. Aronson works       with adoptive parents--including Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt--to care       for their children and reassure them that their new families can work.   --  Laura Ling & Euna Lee - These journalists made headlines earlier this       year when they were arrested and imprisoned while reporting on the       plight of North Korean women who cross into China to escape       starvation.   --  Marissa Mayer - She helped make Google the number-one search engine,       overseeing popular innovations like Gmail, Google Maps and Google       Earth. Among her current goals as vice president for search and user       experience is bringing more women into the high-tech field and moving       them up the ladder.   --  Stella McCartney - She has become one of the world's most influential       designers, thanks to her innate sense of what makes a woman look cool.       A lifelong vegetarian and animal rights activist, she refuses to work       in leather or fur, instead using man-made materials to create sexy       stilettos and jackets that are coveted by the world's most fashionable       women.   --  One Million Signatures Campaign - Started in 2006 by a group of       Iranian women, the campaign calls for an end to gender inequality in       Iran. The organizers risk their lives asking women and men to sign a       petition demanding changes in the laws that make women second-class       citizens. Their courage has emboldened women across Iran to speak out       with a newfound voice, one that was heard loud and clear during last       summer's post-election demonstrations.   --  Amy Poehler - A fearless comedian, she is currently the star and       producer of NBC's Parks and Recreation. She inspires young girls with       projects like The Mighty B!, her Nickelodeon cartoon series about a       feisty Honeybee Scout, and Smart Girls at the Party, her Web-based       preteen talk show.   --  Susan Rice - The first female African American U.S. Ambassador to the       United Nations, she is putting women's needs at the forefront of the       American agenda at the U.N.   --  Rihanna - At just 21, this pop star boasts sales that have wowed even       music industry veterans--and an incredible self-invented style. She       started the Believe Foundation, a fund that provides educational and       medical supplies to needy children; for the first time, she speaks out       in Glamour about what she calls the "big secret" of domestic violence.   --  Maria Shriver - California's First Lady has redefined the role into a       platform for change and leadership with her annual Women's Conference,       multiple books, Emmy-award winning documentary on Alzheimer's and her       groundbreaking study on "A Woman's Nation," which ignited a national       conversation on the female role at work and at home.   --  Serena Williams - The tennis powerhouse has won more career prize       money than any female athlete in history. Her Serena Williams       Foundation gives grants to U.S. college students, and she recently       opened a secondary school in rural Kenya.    --  Special Recognition: Michelle Obama - America's First Lady has brought       the importance of mentoring to the national forefront. She has       demonstrated a commitment to helping the next generation of girls       expand their horizons by providing them with the information and       inspiration to envision themselves as the leaders of tomorrow.   

Glamour's Women of the Year event has had an impact on politics and society that literally saves lives. Glamour continues its Women of the Year Fund initiative, which translates the message of the event into action. The magazine's 12 million readers can contribute to charities supported by the Women of the Year Fund at glamour.com/woty and watch their contributions make a difference in the pages of Glamour, which will follow the progress of the recipients. The 2009 winners, Iran's One Million Signatures Campaign, cannot accept donations, so this year's fund is dedicated to a scholarship program helping Iranian women attend universities in the United States.

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Source: Glamour

CONTACT: Media, Samantha Rosenthal, +1-212-286-6861, for Glamour

Web Site: http://www.glamour.com/women-of-the-year

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Profile: International Entertainment