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Women On Top: The Fiercest Female Moments of 2014

It's been a year of ups and downs, but from Malala Yousafzai to Taylor Swift, we've had some brilliant female moments.

It's been a mixed year for us women.

Angelina has basically become a saint and Emma Watson is well on her way there, which is obviously awesome.

Is Angelina the new Mother Teresa? [REX]
Is Angelina the new Mother Teresa? [REX]

But it hasn't been all good.

The nude photo scandall left so many women feeling violated and abused, the Sony email leaks - which revealed how little Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid in comparison to their male co-stars in American Hustle - laid bare the extent of the gender pay gap and we spent rather too long examining the krispy glazed doughnut that was Kim Kardashian's butt.

In the spirit of looking forwards with optimism, though, let's take a look at some of the BEST moments for women in 2014.

Malala Yousafzai Becomes Youngest Ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

[Associated Press]
[Associated Press]

We had to put her right at the top of the list. Malala deserves just about every accolade that exists at this point. From surviving being shot by the Taliban to her incredible career as a human rights and female education activist, she's a one-woman army in her own right.

Amy Poehler And Tina Fey Host Golden Globes Again And Absolutely KILL It

Comediennes traditionally have it tough - fighting an uphill battle against a silly, but widespread prejudice that women can't be funny.

If these two aren't able to put that stereotype to rest, though, we don't know what can.

Our favourite joke of the opening sequence has still got to be the dig they threw at Matthew Mcconaughey (and the pressure Hollywood puts on the female body) when they said:

"For his role in Dallas Buyer's Club [Mcconaughey] lost 45 pounds!....or what actresses call 'being in a movie'."

Beyonce's Feminist VMAs Performance

It was a great year for feminism in pop culture.

For a long time, the word feminism has been soiled by those who have weird and often angry and hateful agendas. Pop stars like Beyonce have gone to great lengths to reclaim the term and reiterate what it really means - the belief in political, social and sexual gender equality.

[Beyonce's Feminist Performance At The VMAs: Putting The Girl Power Back In Pop]

Mindy Kaling's Fierce Rebuttal

At the Texas-based festival South By South West (SXSW), Mindy Kaling sat on a panel to answer questions about her television show The Mindy Project.

She was angered by an audience member's suggestion that the show lacked racial diversity, as she is the only woman of colour to be a main character.

Mindy had some strong words for her critics. [REX]
Mindy had some strong words for her critics. [REX]

Her response was pretty cutting:

"I'm a f*cking Indian woman who has her own f*cking network television show!"

Well that settles that then!

Lupita Nyong'o Wins An Oscar And Delivers Moving Speech

Lupita Nyong'o is not, of course, the first black woman to have won an oscar, but she was the first Kenyan to do so and she also created a stir for making an incredibly moving speech about skin colour and inner beauty at the Black Women In Hollywood dinner.

 Laverne Cox On Cover Of Time

Transgender people had a tough year in many ways, but Laverne Cox became the face of a new attention the transgender community is getting at the moment, appearing on the cover of iconic Time magazine to herald an article about treansgender challenges.

Laverne Cox on the cover. [Time Magazine]
Laverne Cox on the cover. [Time Magazine]

 

Taylor Swift Comes Into Her Own

T-Swizzle has really had an epic year.

First, she realises that she is indeed a feminist after all and credits Hollywood prodigy Lena Dunham with helping her see the light.

Then she speaks her mind all over the world like a total badass.

[Associated Press]
[Associated Press]

She said this year to French Canadian TV show Tout Le Monde: "I cheer on anybody who is living their life on their own terms, wearing what they want to wear and representing what they want to represent. No other female artist should tell me to wear less clothes and I'm not gonna tell any other female artist to wear more clothes."

Her thoughts were echoed by Chrissy Teigen, who said: "People have sorely messed up the definition of feminism. It isn’t saying this is wrong and this is right. It’s having the power to do whatever the f*ck you want. It’s about having your own beliefs and staying true to them."

You go girls.

Ellen Page Came Out In Style

Actress Ellen Page wasn't just brave enough to come out as gay, she did so in front of all the world and in support of important causes for the Human Right's campaign THRIVE.

Pharrell's Words For Good Morning America

"[Women] don’t get paid as much as men do — that needs to change. We're a species that has a Martian rover on the surface of Mars, but yet we're still the same species that tries to tell women what they can and can't do with their bodies," he said.

[Associated Press]
[Associated Press]

Jennifer Lawrence Responds With Impressive Dignity To Nude Photos Hack

Jennifer Lawrence had a grace and dignity that not many of us would possess when she finally addressed the nude photos hack in Vanity Fair:

"Just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory. It’s my body, and it should be my choice, and the fact that it is not my choice is absolutely disgusting. I can’t believe that we even live in that kind of world."

[Getty]
[Getty]

Lorde Stood Up To Diplo On Behalf Of Taylor Swift

Not that we should advocate size-shaming on any level, but considering he started it by making a mean jobe about the flatness of Taylor Swift's bum, we think Diplo deserved everything he got.

Aussie singer Lorde defended her friend Taylor, tweeting these amazing words for Diplo:

That'll teach you. [Lorde/Twitter]
That'll teach you. [Lorde/Twitter]


All The Men Who Joined #HeForShe

Emma Watson delivered her brilliant speech for UN Women.

And then lots of really brilliant men came out to support her - whether, like Joseph Gorden-Levitt, they made a stirring video, or whether, like Harry Styles, they simply tweeted about it.

[More Amazing Men Join The #HeForShe Campaing With These Great Messages]

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Patrick Stewart and John Legend are all proud feminists [Rex]
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Patrick Stewart and John Legend are all proud feminists [Rex]

 

Emma Haslam Schooled Us All On The Pole

One final triumph - Emma Haslam showed the world on Britain's Got Talent that women of all shapes and sizes should be able to do whatever the blimmin' hell they please!

 [15 Ways To Completely Turn Your Career Around In 2015]

What were your proudest moments for women in the year 2014? Let us know in the comments!