There are thousands of brilliant women that have shaped our entertainment culture and taught us much about art and its various expressions. While it is impossible to narrow down just who have been the most influential, it is worthwhile to say that these five women would definitely be near the top of any list.
1. Writer Sylvia Plath
Early Years: Sylvia Path was born in Boston on October 27, 1932. Plath’s father was a university professor who met Sylvia’s mother, 21 years his junior, as a student in one of his classes. Sylvia began writing at a very young age, and had her first poem published at the age of eight.
Adolescence: Sylvia’s mother moved her two young children into Wellesley, Massachusetts two years after the father’s death in 1940. Sylvia had a quiet childhood and attended Bradford Senior High School and immediately continued her education at Smith College.
Career: Sylvia was successful in college and landed a coveted job as a guest editor at Mademoiselle magazine. Her emotions, however, took a downward spiral and one day she slashed her legs to see if she had the courage to attempt suicide. After months of electroconvulsive therapy to “treat” her depression, Sylvia took too many of her mother’s sleeping pills and lay in a crawl space underneath her house, ready to die. She spent three days there, and later wrote that she “blissfully succumbed to the whirling blackness that I honestly believed was eternal oblivion” (wikpedia.com).
Her many depressing episodes and troubles in her marriage to another poet, Tom Hughes, encouraged her writing. She continued this trend after their separation and published dozens of short stories and poems in her life time.
Now: Sylvia’s husband left her after he was caught in an extramarital affair. She had suffered from ongoing depression for years, and this perhaps worsened through her two pregnancies. Sylvia loved her children deeply, but it was not enough to keep her mind from the darkness that had plagued her for years. On February 11, 1963, Sylvia took her own life. She died of carbon monoxide poisoning after closing herself up in the kitchen with her head in the oven. She was only 30. Sylvia’s works are still avidly read today and she has won several posthumous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in poetry.
2. Singer PINK
Early Years: She was born Alecia Moore on September 8, 1979. Her mother was a nurse and her father a Vietnam veteran. Pink suffered from asthma in her younger years, but still excelled as a gymnast—a career she thought she wanted to pursue. Just before she turned ten, her parents divorced and the experience was a long and bitter one.
Adolescence: Pink joined her first band in high school, but it broke up after losing a battle of the bands competition. She still wrote a lot of music and started performing at nightclubs. This was where she earned the nickname, “Pink,” but it was a somewhat dubious title. She said, "I was extreme. I went through phases from skateboarder, to hip-hopper, to rave child, to lead singer in a band. I did it all, and all at the same time” (wikipedia.com).
Career: Pink formed another band with two friends and they called it “Choice.” They landed a record deal and released a single, but it was not largely successful, and the rest of the album was never released. Pink was told that she needed to go solo.
Pink worked hard and her first album was released in April of 2000. It was fairly successful, and she found even more fame when she preformed with three other singers on the song “Lady Marmalade,” featured in Moulin Rouge!. Her second album, titled Missundaztood because she believed most everyone did not recognize who she really was, became a huge success. Her producers had been concerned, as Pink had insisted on writing most of the material herself, but such hard work paid off. She has released five more albums since then, including a greatest hits compilation.
Now: Pink still remains in the spotlight as a woman who believes in herself and others. She is highly talented and likable, and takes pride in both her personal and stage life. Pink proposed to her boyfriend, Carey Hart, a professional motocross racer, in 2001. They married in 2006, and separated in 2008, which Pink included in her video for her highly successful single, “So What.” They reconciled in 2010, and gave birth to a little girl, Willow, in June of 2011.
3. Actress Marilyn Monroe
Early Years: Marilyn was born Norma Jean Mortensen on June 1st, 1926. There was always some debate over exactly who her father was, and Marilyn’s mother was single by the time she had her. Marilyn’s mother, Gladys, suffered from bouts of hysteria and depression, and Marilyn found herself in various foster and group homes. She enjoyed some good times, but was sexually assaulted and often left to fend for herself.
Adolescence: Afraid of becoming a ward of the state once again in 1942, Marilyn instead married Jim Dougherty when she was only 16. He joined the marines the next year and was sent overseas; Marilyn served in the war effort at home. She was noticed by a photographer and quickly became a successful model and began her acting career. Jim and Marilyn divorced when she was twenty, but Jim always spoke fondly and respectfully of his first wife.
Career: Marilyn had one of the most successful and exciting careers of any woman from that time. She rose quickly in her success as model, singer, and actress. She was in twenty-nine movies over the span of her relatively short career (fifteen years) and was making her 30th film when she died. Marilyn had been sorely taken advantage of by 20th Century Fox films, and finally, in 1955, made a huge impact in the movie industry by winning a unique contract: Marilyn was allowed to reject any script, any costars, any director, along with the freedom to make a movie for anyone else she chose, including her own film company. It was an unprecedented move, most especially by a female. But Marilyn knew what she wanted and once said, “I believe you're always as good as your potential” (wikipedia.com).
Marilyn lived a tumultuous personal life that often spilled over into her career. She married twice more after Jim Dougherty, and had numerous affairs; it was strongly believed that she had an affair with President John F. Kennedy, most especially after her iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” appearance; the dress she wore that night was actually sewn onto her body, and she wore nothing underneath. She was both criticized and adored for her blatant sexuality.
Now: Marilyn has gained popularity with each new generation. Her movies are still watched, and quotes and pictures of her can be found all over the Internet. She is still criticized by many who do not understand her profound statement on women’s rights in such a male-dominated culture. Marilyn owned who she was and enjoyed her talent and sexuality in a way that was largely unacceptable in the mid-20th century.
4. Artist Tracey Emin
Early Years: Tracey and her twin brother, Paul, were born on July 3, 1963 in England. She was raised by both her mother and father, although her father was married to someone else and had to divide his time between the two families. Her father lost his business and the family suffered severely as a result, both financially and emotionally. Tracey was raped at the age of thirteen and expressed this in later artistic pieces.
Adolescence: Tracey lived a somewhat stormy life during this time, but grew exponentially as an artist. She attended the Medway College of design and studied printing at Maidstone Arts College, which she considered one of the best times of her life. She received her Masters of Arts degree at the Royal College of Art, but describes this as a very difficult time. It during these years that, at age 26, she had her first abortion and says, “I learned more about the essence and knowledge of where things come from than any f***** art college or lecture or anyone could tell me. I also knew intuitively as soon as I’d come round from my abortion, that all the art I’d ever made was a real big bunch of crap and had to be destroyed immediately” (hyperallergic.com).
Career: In 1993, she had her first solo showing in London. One of her most popular pieces, Everyone I Ever Slept With 1963-1995, displayed in 1995 and began her showing as a controversial and talented artist. The piece was a large tent with names of everyone she had slept with embroidered along the sides; these names included not only lovers, but her twin brother and two aborted children. Her fame continued to grow when she was interviewd on TV and appeared drunk and boldly insulting; this led people to wonder more about her and her art was a perfect description of who she really was. She has made numerous pieces of art, written a book and several poems, and even sung with high profile music artists in her country. She did a set of drawings portraying the late Princess Diana and in 2013, was named one of the most powerful women in Great Britain by BBC radio.
Now: Tracey is still creating art and controversy and is thriving. Her website sells limited edition prints, posters, china, clothing and more. Despite rumors from the press that she was moving to Paris, Tracey insists that she will stay in London, where she belongs.
5. Comedienne Tina Fey
Early Years: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey was born on May 1, 1970 in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. Her family thoroughly enjoyed comedy and frequently watched TV and movies that presented this. Her childhood was fairly pleasant except for an incident when she was five: Young Tina was playing in her front yard when I stranger approached and slashed her face with a knife. Tina has said that she was not even aware of exactly what had happened and still has the scar to this day.
Adolescence: Tina knew she was meant for comedy by middle school, and did a school project on it in eight grade. She was active in drama and writing in high school, then attended the University of Virginia. She studied playwriting and acting and graduated with her Bachelors of Arts in 1992.
Career: Tina has made significant impact on the comedy world. While working with a comedy group, The Second City, she submitted several scripts to Saturday Night Live, and was hired in 1997. Tina was thrilled and said, “I'd had my eye on the show forever, the way other kids have their eye on Derek Jeter” (wikipedia.com). She became SNL’s first female head writer and in 2000, she began appearing in skits with Jimmy Falon. Their “Weekend Update” was quickly a classic, and also introduced Tina to fellow comedienne and soon-to-be friend, Amy Poehler.
Tina left SNL in 2006 to pursue other opportunities, but in 2008, when vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin appeared on the scene, looking like a conservative Tina Fey, she was pressured to return. Tina impersonated Palin several times, even along side of the Alaskan governor, and received high acclaim for it. Entertainment Weekly said of the impression, “Fey's freakishly spot-on SNL impersonation of the wannabe VP (and her ability to strike a balance between comedy and cruelty) made for truly transcendent television” (wikipedia.com).
Now: Tina is still active in the comedy scene. She has been nominated for, and won, numerous awards including Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. She is heavily involved in charities and has two daughters with her husband, Jeff Richmond, to whom she has been married since 2001.