Dear Beautiful People -- An Announcement

I have reluctantly decided to put this blog on what may prove to be a permanent pause. In my initial enthusiasm when starting this blog, it seems I underestimated how much time and effort these daily postings would require over the long term. So I am going to return my attention and focus to my main blog, She Who Seeks, and leave this blog as an archival one. Perhaps some day I may resume regular posting here if demands on my time change. We'll see what the future holds.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this blog. I am grateful for your support. And thank you to all who nominated women as subjects for posts and/or who left such interesting, supportive, and perceptive comments over the year of Beautiful Woman of the Day's existence. I appreciate your interest and participation very much!

Blogging Break

Hi everyone --

I'm off to visit my sister and then when I get back,

I will be having my cataracts surgery. So I will not

be blogging for the month of September at a minimum.

I don't know yet how great a limitation on screen time

I'll have to observe during my recovery period of

October and November. So blogging may be

sporadic and/or non-existent during those months too.

But regular blogging will resume when I am able!

See you later, Beautiful People!

Björk

Björk (1965 -     )

Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actor;

Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, 

eclectic musical stye, and eccentric public persona and fashion;

one of the most influential pioneers in electronic and experimental music;

nominated in 2001 for an Oscar for Best Original Song, she caused

a sensation at the ceremony in her infamous "Swan Dress;"

her 2025 concert film Cornucopia is currently streaming on Apple TV+.

One Year of Beautiful Women!

Beautiful Woman of the Day blog

is one year old today!

Thank you to everyone who has read,

followed, or commented on this blog

over the past 12 months!

I appreciate all of you!

Marcy Borders

Marcy Borders (1973 - 2015)

American legal assistant who worked in the World Trade Center's North Tower;

she survived its collapse following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks;

immortalized as "The Dust Lady," she was 28 years old when this iconic photo

was taken by Stan Honda, photographer for Agence France-Presse;

Marcy never recovered from the trauma of the attack and

suffered severe PTSD for the rest of her life;

she died from stomach cancer at age 42, convinced it was

due to the toxic dust from the World Trade Center collapse.

[photo of Marcy Borders with Stan Honda]

Stormé DeLarverie

Stormé DeLarverie (1920 - 2014)

American woman and butch lesbian whose scuffle with police

was, according to DeLarverie and many eyewitnesses, the spark

that ignited the 1969 Stonewall uprising, spurring the crowd to action;

she worked as an MC, singer, drag king, bouncer, bodyguard,

and volunteer street patrol worker, the "guardian of lesbians in the Village;"

from 1955-1969, she performed with the Jewel Box Revue,

North America's first racially integrated drag revue;

although she did not publicly express a gender identity, today's term

"non-binary" probably comes the closest.

Sophia Tolstaya

Sophia Tolstaya (1844 - 1919)

Russian diarist and wife of writer Count Leo Tolstoy;

their marriage is considered one of the most famously unhappy

marriages of literary history, in which their children also took sides;

her diaries, in which she recorded her life with her husband,

were not published in English translation until the 1980s;

she also wrote her memoirs entitled My Life;

interested in photography, she took over 1000 photographs

documenting her life and the decline of the Russian Empire;

most of her works were published postmortem, long after being written,

because Tolstaya was critical of Leo Tolstoy in her writing and

the Russian authorities did not want the famous author's status tarnished.

Tori Amos

Tori Amos (1963 -     )

American singer-songwriter and pianist,

a classically trained musician with

a mezzo-soprano vocal range;

her breakthrough as a solo artist came in the early 1990s,

with songs focused on a broad range of topics, including

sexuality, feminism, politics, and religion;

because of her synesthesia, different sounds produce

different light images, making songs appear to her as strings of colour.

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson (1970 -     )

American actor in television and movies;

best known roles include Queenie in The Curious Case of

Benjamin Button (2008), Cookie Lyon in Empire (2015-2020),

mathematician Katherine Johnson in Hidden Figures (2016)

and Shug Avery in The Color Purple (2023);

nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and many Emmies,

she has won one Golden Globe for her Empire role;

an outspoken advocate about ongoing pay disparities

between white and black actors in Hollywood.

Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson (1918 - 2020)

American mathematician;

her complex manual calculations of orbital mechanics

as a NASA employee were critical to the success

of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights;

with little recognition at the time, she was known as

a "human computer" for her tremendous mathematical capability;

after the book and movie Hidden Figures made her

accomplishments known, she received many long-overdue

honours, including a Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015),

Congressional Gold Medal (2019) and posthumous

induction into the National Women's Hall of Fame (2021).

Mary Jane Rathbun

Mary Jane Rathbun (1922 - 1999)

an American medical cannabis rights activist known as "Brownie Mary";

as a hospital volunteer in San Francisco during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s,

she baked and delivered her "magical" marijuana brownies to hundreds of

patients in order to ease their symptoms of pain and nausea;

despite being arrested 3 times over the years, she lobbied to make

medical cannabis legal in 1996, and also helped establish the first

medical cannabis dispensary in the USA.

Notable quotation --

"If the narcs think I'm gonna stop baking brownies for

my kids with AIDS, they can go fuck themselves."

Tessa Thompson

Tessa Thompson (1983 -     )

American actor of stage, television, and film;

known for her roles in Veronica Mars (2005–2006),

Men in Black: International (2019),

as Valkyrie in the Marvel Thor movies (2017 & 2022),

and in the sci-fi series Westworld (2016–2022).

Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan (1957 -     )

Cuban singer, songwriter, actor, and businesswoman;

lead singer of Miami Sound Machine

from 1975 until going solo in 1989;

hailed as the "Queen of Latin Pop;"

the 1985 hit Conga became her signature song;

a 1990 tour bus crash caused life-threatening injuries

to Gloria's spine from which she fully recovered

and returned to recording and touring;

currently re-recording her music catalogue with Brazilian rhythms;

recipient of 8 Grammy Awards and the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

M.J. Bassett

M.J. Bassett (1968 -     )

British film and television writer, director, and producer

known for cult horror and dark fantasy films/series;

one of only a few openly transgender directors working in Hollywood;

her forthcoming movie is the digital streaming remake of Red Sonja.

Lorna Crozier

Lorna Crozier (1948 -     )

Canadian poet, author, and former chair of the

Writing Department at the University of Victoria;

one of Canada's pre-eminent poets, her writings often 

deal with themes of human relationships, the natural world,

language, memory, and perception;

this video is a good introduction to her life, interests, and poetry

for those who may want to know more.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones (1954 -     )

American singer-songwriter and musician;

an artist dedicated to experimentation and change,

her style encompasses jazz, folk, and R&B

with a distinct pop sensibility;

winner of 2 Grammy Awards;

her memoir Last Chance Texaco was published in 2021.

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth (1797 - 1883)

American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights,

women's rights, and alcohol temperance;

born into slavery on a Dutch plantation in New York,

she was repeatedly beaten, raped, and sold to new masters;

she escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826;

in 1828, she went to court to recover her son and became the

first black woman to win such a case against a white man.

Her most famous speech, delivered extemporaneously in 1851,

became widely known during the Civil War by the title "Ain't I a Woman?"

But that later 1863 version changed Sojourner Truth’s northern

Dutch-accented English to the dialect of a “stereotypical southern slave”

to make it more palatable to white readers;

please see both versions of the speech at the

Sojourner Truth Project website here.

Jen Pawol

Jen Pawol (1976 -     )

American professional baseball umpire and former art teacher;

first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball game

on August 9, 2025 (on the field) and

on August 10, 2025 (behind the plate).

Rachel Brosnahan

Rachel Brosnahan (1990 -     )

American actor of stage, television and movies;

best known for portraying Midge Maisel,

an aspiring 1950s-era stand-up comedian, in the

streaming comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023),

for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award and

two consecutive Golden Globe Awards;

currently starring as Lois Lane in the film Superman (2025).

Marie Tharp

Marie Tharp (1920 - 2006)

American geologist and oceanographic cartographer;

her 1952 discovery and mapping of the 10,000-mile-long

Mid-Atlantic Ridge proved that the sea floor was spreading and

caused a paradigm shift in earth science, vindicating

the then-controversial theories of plate tectonics and continental drift;

many scientists infamously dismissed her explanation as "girl talk."

Victoria Mboko

Victoria Mboko (2006 -     )

Canadian professional tennis player;

just won her first WTA Tour singles title at the 2025 Canadian Open;

currently ranked No. 1 WTA singles player in Canada

and No. 24 in the world.

Niki de Saint Phalle

[Blue Nana, 2000]

Niki de Saint Phalle (1930 - 2002)

French sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author/illustrator;

with no formal art training, she was a noted "outsider" artist

and a rare female monumental sculptor;

one of her most famous creations is the Tarot Garden in Tuscany,

a large sculpture garden of huge, tarot-themed works;

her other most famous creations are "Nanas," a series of

light-hearted, whimsical, colourful, large-scale sculptures

of animals, monsters, and female figures;

she is now acknowledged as "one of the most significant 

female and feminist artists of the 20th century,

and one of the few to receive recognition in the

male-dominated art world during her lifetime."

Woman With Sore Feet

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek (1966 -     )

Mexican and American actor, director and producer

in both Mexican and American TV and films;

notable movies include Desperado (1995), 

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), and two

movies in the Puss in Boots franchise (2011, 2022);

for her breakout performance in the biopic Frida (2002),

she became the first Mexican nominatee for an Academy Award for Best Actress;

her charitable work includes increasing awareness on violence against women

and discrimination against immigrants.

Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch (1960 -     )

American actor, comedian, and singer;

rose to prominence in such films and series as

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Glee (2009–2015),

and Only Murders in the Building (2021–2024);

also host of the game shows Hollywood Game Night (2013–2020)

and the American version of The Weakest Link (2020 onwards);

winner of a Golden Globe, 5 Primetime Emmys

and 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards;

an openly lesbian icon of the LGBTQ+ community.

Danai Gurira

Danai Gurira (1978 -     )

Zimbabwean-American actor, playwright, producer and activist;

dedicated to portraying and writing roles for strong black women;

recipient of an Obie Award and several Tony nominations for her plays;

her best known acting roles are Michonne in The Walking Dead and

General Okoye of Wakanda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe;

she is an advocate for women, the end of poverty, and HIV/AIDS awareness.

Dame Diana Rigg

Dame Diana Rigg (1938 - 2020)

English actor of stage and screen;

played innumerable iconic roles from

Emma Peel (The Avengers) in the 1960s

to Olenna Tyrell (Game of Thrones)

near the end of her life

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852)

English mathematician and writer;

daughter of the poet Lord Byron and

reformer Anne Isabella Milbanke;

chiefly known for her work with Charles Babbage and his

proposed mechanical general-purpose computer which

anticipated the essential features of modern electronic computers;

she was the first to point out the possibility of encoding information

besides mere arithmetical figures for pure calculation.

Bette Midler

Bette Midler (1945 -     )

American actor, comedian, singer, and author;

multi-award winner for her long recording career

as a singer with many iconic hit songs;

multi-award winner for her acting career

in many comedic and dramatic films on stage,

television and movies;

long history of charity work and philanthropy

focused on community assistance.

Sun and Stars

Gena Boubard

Gena Boubard

Canadian professional makeup artist and

advocate for Indigenous LGBTQIA2S+

youth empowerment and representation;

Two-Spirit Anishinaabe (they/them) from

Sagkeeng First Nation in Treaty 1 territory, Manitoba;

awarded the title of Miss Indigenous Canada 2025.

Dame Cleo Laine

Dame Cleo Laine (1927 - 2025)

English jazz singer and musical theatre star known for her scat singing;

her international recording career also involved collaborating with

many of the pre-eminent singers and musicians of her time;

her many awards and honours included being made a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1997).

Nichola Goddard

Nichola Goddard (1980 - 2006)

Canadian soldier and captain in the

1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery,

served with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

in Canadian operations in the Afghanistan War;

first Canadian female combat soldier to be

killed in action on the front lines;

posthumously awarded the General Campaign Star,

Meritorious Service Medal, and Sacrifice Medal.

Dame Pat Barker

Dame Pat Barker (1943 -     )

English writer and novelist;

her multi-award winning fiction often centres on

themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery,

often in the context of war and oppression;

her famous Regeneration Trilogy (1991-1995)

deals with the trauma of World War I, while

her latest Trojan War Trilogy (2018-2024)

retells Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, but from

the perspective of the women involved in those myths.

Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kidjo (1960 -     )

Beninese-French singer-songwriter, actor, and activist;

fluent in 5 languages (French, English, Fon, Yoruba, and Gen),

she sings in all of them, often using Benin's traditional

Zilin vocal technique and vocalese;

she has released many albums, performed around the world,

and frequently collaborated with other artists;

winner of 5 Grammy Awards and the Polar Music Prize;

her activism covers many causes, particularly the

education and empowerment of girls and women in Africa.

Frances Featherstone

Frances Featherstone

English contemporary artist who works primarily in oils;

trained at the University of the West of England in Bristol (first-class degree);

worked for several years a Senior Designer for the BBC;

now exhibits her award-winning art internationally;

latest award is the Maire Ragnhild Hollingsworth Prize for Oil Painting

for her painting Motherly Loves, currently being exhibited at

The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2025, London, England.

Motherly Loves

Motherly Loves by Frances Featherstone, 

currently on exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts

Summer Exhibition 2025, London, England

Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 - 1797)

English writer and philosopher best known for

her advocacy of women's rights;

foremother of feminist thought;

author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792);

married to philosopher William Godwin, one of the

forefathers of the anarchist movement; 

she died after giving birth to their daughter, Mary, who

grew up to be Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.

Agnes Moorhead

Agnes Moorhead (1900 - 1974)

American actor in radio, stage, film, and television;

one of the principal performers in

Orson Welles' Mercury Players (1937 - 1946);

had notable roles in films such as Citizen Kane (1941),

Show Boat (1951), Johnny Belinda (1948), and

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964);

she gained acclaim for her role as Endora

on the sitcom Bewitched (1964 -1972);

recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, 

two Golden Globe Awards, and 

four nominations for Academy Awards.

Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt (1927 - 2008)

American singer and actor known for

her distinctive vocal style and sultry screen presence;

has reached icon status due to her song Santa Baby (1953)

and her television portrayal of Catwoman (1967);

an activist in many human rights and civil rights causes.

Rosie O'Donnell

Rosie O'Donnell (1962 -     )

American talk show host, comedian, and actor;

after a series of TV and film roles, she hosted the

daytime talk show The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996 - 2002)

which won several Daytime Emmy Awards;

after coming out as a lesbian in 2002, she became an

outspoken advocate of LGBTQ issues and other liberal causes;

she was a moderator on the daytime talk show 

The View (2006 - 2007) which included the start of

a long-running public feud with Donald Trump.

Airyn De Niro

Airyn De Niro (1995 -     )

American model and voice actor who is studying

to be a mental health counsellor;

she has recently come out as trans

and has her family's support.

Rose O'Neill

Rose O'Neill (1874 - 1944)

American cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer;

the first published female cartoonist in the USA,

in 1909 she created popular "baby Cupid"

comic strip characters called Kewpies;

a toy company soon began producing Kewpie dolls

which were a sensation and one of the first

mass-marketed toys in the United States;

active in women's suffrage, she has been inducted into

the National Women's Hall of Fame;

as a comics pioneer, she was also inducted into

the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame.