Videos by Spencer Bakalar and Diane Tsai
Photographs by Luisa Dörr
‘She broke the glass ceiling.’
What a jagged image we use for women who achieve greatly, defining accomplishment in terms of the barrier rather than the triumph. There she is up where the air is thin, where men still outnumber women, but where the altitude is awesome. Our goal with Firsts, which we will continue to update as new barriers are broken, is for every woman and girl to find someone whose presence in the highest reaches of success says to her that it is safe to climb, come on up, the view is spectacular.
The Satirist
Samantha Bee
First woman to host a late-night satire show
The Satirist
Parker Day for TIME
The Playwright
Young Jean Lee
First Asian-American woman to write a play produced on Broadway
The Playwright
June Canedo for TIME
The Writer
Lena Waithe
First black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
The Writer
Heather Sten for TIME
The Restaurateur
Dominique Crenn
First woman to receive two Michelin stars in the U.S. and, as of November 2018, the first woman to receive three Michelin stars in the U.S.
The Restaurateur
Molly Matalon for TIME
The Nominee
Hillary Rodham Clinton
First woman to win a major party’s nomination for President
The Nominee
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Pro
Serena Williams
First tennis player to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles in the open era
The Pro
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Portraitist
Amy Sherald
First black woman to paint an official First Lady portrait
The Portraitist
Jody Rogac for TIME
The Skier
Lindsey Vonn
First American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in downhill skiing
The Skier
Kendrick Brinson for TIME
The Model
Halima Aden
First hijab-wearing fashion model to walk international runway shows
The Model
Dafy Hagai for TIME
The Cadet
Simone Askew
First black woman to lead the Corps of Cadets at West Point
The Cadet
Molly Matalon for TIME
The CEO
Beth Ford
First openly gay woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 company
The CEO
Simone Lueck for TIME
The Trader
Stacey Cunningham
First woman to become president of the New York Stock Exchange
The Trader
Adrienne Grunwald for TIME
The Lawmaker
Danica Roem
First openly transgender woman to be elected to and seated in a U.S. state legislature
The Lawmaker
Susan Worsham for TIME
The Cinematographer
Rachel Morrison
First woman to be nominated for an Oscar in Cinematography
The Cinematographer
Joyce Kim for TIME
The Tastemaker
Selena Gomez
First person to reach 100 million followers on Instagram
The Tastemaker
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Titan
Oprah Winfrey
First woman to own and produce her own talk show
The Titan
Luisa Dörr for TIME
‘There is plenty of room in the world for mediocre men, but there is no room for mediocre women.’
Madeleine Albright
The Diplomat
Madeleine Albright
First woman to become U.S. Secretary of State
The Diplomat
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Setbacks
15 women on sexism and double standards
The Auteur
Issa Rae
First black woman to create and star in a premium cable series
The Auteur
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Singer
Aretha Franklin
First woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Singer
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Showrunner
Shonda Rhimes
First woman to create three hit shows with more than 100 episodes each
The Showrunner
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Driver
Danica Patrick
First woman to lead in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500
The Driver
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Leader
Nikki Haley
First Indian-American woman to be elected governor
The Leader
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Mogul
Sheryl Sandberg
First woman to become a social-media billionaire
The Mogul
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Chef
Alice Waters
First woman to win the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef
The Chef
The Actor
Rita Moreno
First Latina to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony
The Actor
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Commander
Lori Robinson
First woman to lead a top-tier U.S. Combat Command
The Commander
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Animator
Jennifer Yuh Nelson
First woman to solo-direct a major Hollywood animated feature
The Animator
Luisa Dörr for TIME
‘I said to my dad, “This doesn’t look like the America you promised.”’
Ilhan Omar
The Legislator
Ilhan Omar
First Somali-American Muslim person to become a legislator and, as of November 2018, the first Somali American elected to the U.S. Congress
The Legislator
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Motivations
14 women on how they stay inspired
The Senator
Mazie Hirono
First Asian-American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate
The Senator
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Boss
Mary Barra
First woman to become CEO of a major car company
The Boss
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Astronaut
Mae Jemison
First woman of color in space
The Astronaut
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Artist
Cindy Sherman
First woman to break $1 million in a photography sale
The Artist
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Journalist
Barbara Walters
First woman to co-anchor a network evening news program
The Journalist
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Pitcher
Mo'ne Davis
First girl to pitch a shutout and win a game in a Little League World Series
The Pitcher
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Speaker
Nancy Pelosi
First woman to become Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
The Speaker
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Lawyer
Loretta Lynch
First black woman to become U.S. Attorney General
The Lawyer
Luisa Dörr for TIME
‘I’m bolstered by folks who create their own ceilings.’
Ava DuVernay
The Director
Ava DuVernay
First black woman to direct a film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar
The Director
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Families
8 women on the balancing act
‘The women, we were aqua-babes, aqua-chicks, aqua-naughties. But we didn’t care what they called us, as long as we had a chance to go.’
Sylvia Earle
The Oceanographer
Sylvia Earle
First woman to become chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The Oceanographer
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Executive
Ursula Burns
First black woman to run a Fortune 500 company
The Executive
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The General
Ann Dunwoody
First woman to rise to four-star general in the U.S. military
The General
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Inventor
Patricia Bath
First person to invent and demonstrate laserphaco cataract surgery
The Inventor
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Comedian
Ellen DeGeneres
First person to star as an openly gay character on prime-time TV
The Comedian
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Scientist
Elizabeth Blackburn
First woman to become president of the Salk Institute
The Scientist
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Bishop
Katharine Jefferts Schori
First woman to be elected presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church
The Bishop
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Philanthropist
Melinda Gates
First woman to give away more than $40 billion
The Philanthropist
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Pilot
Eileen Collins
First woman to command a space shuttle
The Pilot
Luisa Dörr for TIME
‘Being the first always creates a pressure that you don’t want to be the last.’
Rachel Maddow
The Anchor
Rachel Maddow
First openly gay anchor to host a prime-time news program
The Anchor
Photograph by Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Histories
19 women on the people who shaped them
‘Raising hackles means you’re not being ignored; you’re pushing the conversation forward.’
Rita Dove
The Poet
Rita Dove
First black U.S. poet laureate
The Poet
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Adviser
Kellyanne Conway
First woman to run a winning presidential campaign
The Adviser
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Sculptor
Maya Lin
First woman to design a memorial on the National Mall
The Sculptor
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Coach
Kathryn Smith
First woman to become a full-time coach in the NFL
The Coach
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Gymnast
Gabby Douglas
First American gymnast to win solo and team all-around gold medals at one Olympics
The Gymnast
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Engineer
Geisha Williams
First Latina CEO of a Fortune 500 company
The Engineer
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Chair
Janet Yellen
First woman to chair the Federal Reserve
The Chair
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Entrepreneur
Michelle Phan
First woman to build a $500 million company from a web series
The Entrepreneur
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Librarian
Carla Hayden
First woman and first African American to be Librarian of Congress
The Librarian
Luisa Dörr for TIME
‘It was like I could breathe for the first time in my life.’
Candis Cayne
The Performer
Candis Cayne
First transgender woman with a major role on prime-time TV
The Performer
Luisa Dörr for TIME
The Ceiling
12 women on shattering the glass
‘The notion that women might menstruate in orbit drove the whole place up the wall.’
Kathryn Sullivan
The Explorer
Kathryn Sullivan
First American woman to walk in space
The Explorer
Luisa Dörr for TIME
WOMEN WHO ARE CHANGING THE WORLD
WOMEN WHO ARE CHANGING THE WORLD
- Halima Aden
- Madeleine Albright
- Simone Askew
- Mary Barra
- Patricia Bath
- Samantha Bee
- Elizabeth Blackburn
- Ursula Burns
- Candis Cayne
- Hillary Rodham Clinton
- Eileen Collins
- Kellyanne Conway
- Dominique Crenn
- Stacey Cunningham
- Mo'ne Davis
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Gabby Douglas
- Rita Dove
- Ann Dunwoody
- Ava DuVernay
- Sylvia Earle
- Beth Ford
- Aretha Franklin
- Melinda Gates
- Selena Gomez
- Nikki Haley
- Carla Hayden
- Mazie Hirono
- Mae Jemison
- Young Jean Lee
- Maya Lin
- Loretta Lynch
- Rachel Maddow
- Rita Moreno
- Rachel Morrison
- Jennifer Yuh Nelson
- Ilhan Omar
- Danica Patrick
- Nancy Pelosi
- Michelle Phan
- Issa Rae
- Shonda Rhimes
- Lori Robinson
- Danica Roem
- Sheryl Sandberg
- Katharine Jefferts Schori
- Amy Sherald
- Cindy Sherman
- Kathryn Smith
- Kathryn Sullivan
- Lindsey Vonn
- Lena Waithe
- Barbara Walters
- Alice Waters
- Serena Williams
- Geisha Williams
- Oprah Winfrey
- Janet Yellen
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