The Best Moments From Glamour’s 2021 Women of the Year Awards

Ufot added, “I’m supposed to be here. LaTosha Brown, Helen Butler, we’re supposed to be here.” She also astutely pointed out that we still live in a country where the “male, pale, stale minority fight with each other about which of our rights to take away.”  

Dr. Katalin Karikó’s daughter, Susan Francia, gave a sweet tribute to her mom. 

“I’m so honored to speak tonight on behalf of 2021 Glamour Woman of the Year Dr. Katalin Karikó, who I usually call Mom,” she said. “She has to be in Germany for work tonight, but you’ll have to excuse her for sending me instead, because the work she does saves lives. It was her lifelong efforts in RNA research that enabled Pfizer and Moderna to create the mRNA vaccine that is preventing the spread of COVID-19.” 

The first-ever Daring to Disrupt Award, presented by Ally, went to Peloton’s Robin Arzón. 

Pam Drucker Mann, Condé Nast’s global chief revenue officer and president of U.S. revenue, thanked all of the evening’s sponsors and welcomed soccer star Alex Morgan to the stage to present the Daring to Disrupt Award, presented by Ally, a Woman of the Year presenting sponsor.

“Robin has always been a strong leader, building Peloton and her personal brand to new heights,” Morgan said in her introduction of Arzón. “As an author, coach, mom, marathon runner, and top instructor, she inspires her fans to live happy and authentic lives. But by daring to share her joy and her challenges as a pregnant athlete and a powerful executive, she breaks new ground in women’s representation. Robin, and lots of us in sport, want the world to understand that true success is more than a medal or a corner office; it’s living a daring, big, and, bold life.” 

“I am absolutely astonished to be here in this room,” Arzón said. “I was raised by disruptors…. When we make waves, we’re going to make people uncomfortable. Disruptors and innovators are almost always misunderstood, questioned, and threatening. And I say, let’s make waves, and they’re just gonna have to learn how to swim.” 

The women behind Heart of Dinner’s moving remarks 

“The first time that I saw a video of an elderly man being attacked…the unmistakable agony on his face felt too painful to watch, it was unbearable. I saw the face of my father, my Ah Ma—that’s my grandma—and all of our grandparents. But instead of turning away from the pain, we stepped into it, knowing that we had each other’s love as our safety net,” Moonlynn Tsai and Yin Chang said in their acceptance speech. “In that love we birthed Heart of Dinner. It gave us hope to weather the most difficult terrain throughout the pandemic and enabled us to sustain. Our relationship expanded as we formed friendships with thousands who found their own safety net in our community.” 

Christopher Meloni tributing Woman of the year (and his Law & Order costar) Mariska Hargitay 

“Radiant. Charming. Funny. Embracing. Generous. Elegant. Honest. Appreciative. Inclusive. Direct. Vivacious. That’s my favorite one: vivacious,” he said. These two! 

And Hargitay’s speech

“The dictionary says that glamour is ‘an exciting and often illusory and romantic attractiveness,’ or in another dictionary, ‘an attractive or exciting quality that makes certain people or things seem appealing,’” she said, “What’s the obvious implication? That glamour covers, that glamour is surface, and that the real is underneath. So I’d just like to say: No, I decide. Glamour isn’t surface…. Our glamour is something that lives and shines and breathes deep, deep in us…. You don’t tell us what our glamour means: We decide.” She also said some heartfelt words about her mother, Jayne Mansfield.

Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa introducing Megan Thee Stallion

“Look at Megan,” Pepa said. “Take her in. She is Thee Stallion. Beautiful, bold…fearless. I love everything that she’s doing. For me, coming up as Salt-N-Pepa, everything was a struggle. There were so few women in the game back in the day. We helped open doors, yes we did. But Megan kicked the door down, pulled up a seat at the table, ordered a big dinner, and poured Hottie Sauce all over the damn thing.” 

Megan’s speech, naturally, was incredible too. 

The rapper got emotional talking about her mother, saying, “She taught me how to be the woman I am today.