Ryan accepted the surprise award, joking, “I just absolutely love coming out of here year after year, weaving violence against women into a comedy opening monologue. I mean, God damn it, and you just sit there with your white wine… it’s a tough gig, but I love it. I love being counted among these very incredible women.”
Keely Hodgkinson: Sporting Hero
After winning the silver medal in the 800 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and emerging as one of the year’s biggest track stars, Hodgkinson made history at this year’s Paris Olympics, when, at just 22 years old, she took home the gold.
“To know that I’ve inspired young girls to get into sport is both humbling and amazing,” she said. “It’s something I still find hard to grasp. But standing here today, I hope to shine a light on the incredible athletes, particularly female athletes, because we have so many of them in our sport right now and that have devoted their lives to compete in our world at this stage.”
Jameela Jamil: Gamechanging Voice
The Gamechanging Voice award went to actor, activist, podcaster and — well — all-round gamechanger, Jameela Jamil. Beyond her acting career, which has included roles in The Good Place and She-Hulk, Jamil has also been a voice of empowerment for women with her activism and her podcast. Inspired by her own journey with body image, eating disorders and body dysmorphia, her podcast I Weigh tackles everything from mental health to climate change to body positivity to self-love.
Jamil’s remarkable acceptance speech highlighted the inherent sexism embedded in our society’s youth-obsessed beauty standards. “Nobody has taught us that we need to protect and preserve the rest of our amazing lives, we’re only supposed to preserve our youth… I promise you, you only get better with age,” she said. “Growing older, wiser, more confident, opinionated, discerning, powerful and less tolerant of bullshit is a beautiful (and sexy) thing, and only someone insecure and afraid that they can’t rise to the occasion wouldn’t want to celebrate that in you.”
She went on to speak about honouring the “old woman” she will one day become.
“Everything I do from this day forward is for the wild, and fabulous old woman I hope to become one day,” she said. “Time is a beautiful and brilliant privilege and I’m so grateful to people like Emma Thompson, Miriam Margolyes, and Maggie Smith, for modelling the third act in a way that makes me so fucking excited to get there.”
Jason Lloyd-Evans
Pamela Anderson: UK Impact Award
A pop culture icon since her career-making turn in Baywatch in the ’90s, Anderson has gone on to become a passionate advocate for animal welfare, AIDS and HIV awareness and unhealthy beauty standards.
“For most of my career, I found women were so competitive and cruel each other standing here, I can tell you, it’s much better when we love and support each other,” she said.
Anderson also spoke about living as a survivor of sexual violence. “I know it takes tremendous strength to heal. And I thank everyone who supported me on this journey,” she said. |These last few years have felt like a fresh slate. I’m on my path a new, glorious and imperfect one. But the lesson I’ve learned is I will not let what happened to me define me. Is what I do that defines me. I dedicate this award to women everywhere, rising above their painful paths and finding the courage to be their best selves.”