15 Ridiculously Amazing Women Who Gave Us More Reason To Admire Them In 2017

    More heroes for us to look up to.

    Sonia Mariam Thomas
    by Sonia Mariam Thomas

    BuzzFeed Staff, India

    1. The Indian women's cricket team

    hindustantimes.com

    The Indian team found a place in the finals of the 2017 Women's World Cup (and our hearts) with stellar performances from captain Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Jhulan Goswami, thus continuing 2016's streak of success for women in sports.

    2. Mithali Raj

    Indranil Mukherjee / AFP / Getty Images

    Longtime Indian team captain, this year was particularly great for Raj. She became the first player to hit 6,000 runs in WODIs. She captained most matches for WODIs and T20Is. She set a new record for most number of consecutive fifties for a player. And, of course, she also led her team to the finals of the World Cup.

    3. RJ Malishka

    Facebook: mymalishka

    With a single viral video, Malishka made sure that everyone held Mumbai's municipal corporation accountable for their actions regarding potholes and the state of the city's roads, all while facing ruthless backlash. Oh, and she also starred in a movie with Vidya Balan nbd.

    4. Faye D'Souza

    Facebook: FayeDSouzaOfficial

    The news anchor for Mirror Now has been the sane voice in the cacophony of burning panels and argumentative men on Indian news channels. She has chosen to highlight more important news when most wouldn't and given us all a reason to still have hope.

    5. Zakia Soman

    feminisminindia.com

    Soman was one of the six petitioners in the triple talaq verdict at the Supreme Court. She founded the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) to unite Muslim women from across the country to help fight for their rights.

    6. Sheena Dabholkar

    vogue.in

    Lifestyle blogger Dabholkar started a Twitter thread highlighting the rampant harassment and misogynistic behaviour at a pub named High Spirits in Pune, causing mass backlash and many to boycott the place altogether.

    7. Gurmehar Kaur

    instagram.com

    While speaking about the loss of her own father to war, 20-year-old Kaur has been instrumental in highlighting the difference between blind love and patriotism in the country by fighting trolls who refused to agree with what she had to say — war is never the answer.

    8. Shubhangi Swaroop

    ndtv.com

    She was part of the first batch of female officers to graduate from the Indian Naval Academy in Kannur. The young woman from Bareilly will now become India's first female navy pilot.

    9. Raya Sarkar

    facebook.com

    The law student collected anecdotes of sexual harassment from students across India and the south Asian diaspora to expose academicians for their alleged misconduct. Coming at a time when the conversation around sexual violence was at its loudest, it also started a conversation about women academicians and their safety.

    10. Mona Varonica Campbell

    Mona Varonica Campbell

    Campbell defied conventional beauty standards to become the first trans plus-size model to walk at Lakmé Fashion Week. She also has a Ph.D and her own make-up line.

    11. Konkona Sensharma

    Strdel / AFP / Getty Images

    The actress not only starred in the norm-shattering Lipstick Under My Burkha where she essayed the role of a woman being subjected to abuse and rape by her own husband, but also directed her debut film A Death In The Gunj. The latter was about a man dealing with loss, depression, and conflicting ideas of masculinity.

    12. Karuna Nundy

    Handout / Getty Images

    This Supreme Court advocate championed the case against the legitimacy of the triple talaq this year, and wrote this wonderful piece reminding the world how harassment at work is not okay and how women can fight it.

    13. Women In Cinema Collective

    twitter.com

    Actresses from Kerala, including Manju Warrier, Rima Kallingal and Parvathy, came together to fight sexism and misogynistic practices in their film industry and protect all women working with them.

    14. Mirabai Chanu

    timesofindia.indiatimes.com

    She is the first Indian in over two decades to win a gold medal at the World weightlifting championship. Before this, Olympic bronze medallist Karnam Malleswari had won the top prize twice — in 1994 and 1995.

    15. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan

    newsbytesapp.com

    Dr. Swaminathan was selected as the Deputy Director General of WHO earlier this year. It is the second-highest post in a UN agency and the highest held by an Indian.