It’s a beautiful day for Bono. The U2 frontman just became the first man to be named for Glamour’s annual Women of the Year list, an unprecedented move for the publication that surely won’t spawn dozens of think-pieces and countless rage tweets.
“We’ve talked for years about whether to honor a man at Women of the Year and we’ve always kind of put the kibosh on it,” Glamour Editor-in-Chief Cindi Leive explained. “You know, men get a lot of awards and aren’t exactly hurting in the celebration and honors department. But it started to seem that that might be an outdated way of looking at things, and there are so many men who really are doing wonderful things for women these days. Some men get it and Bono is one of those guys.”
Before you scoff and demand they repeal the decision, know that Bono and his One campaign worked all last year as part of their “Poverty Is Sexist” movement in turning the spotlight on impoverished women across the world who are refused education.
As Leive argued: “The idea that a man who could select any cause in the world to call his own, or no cause at all, is choosing to work, and not just for one night or at a special event, but consistently — day after day and month after month — on behalf of women is incredibly cool and absolutely deserves applause.”
Bono responded to the news, contending that the battle’s just begun and more men must take action, stating: “We’re largely responsible for the problem, so we have to be involved in the solutions.”
The singer and activist joins a list that includes fashion designer Miuccia Prada, IMF chief Christine Lagarde, ISIS kidnap survivor Nadia Murad, Black Lives Matter activists Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi, and model and body activist Ashley Graham. They will all be honored on November 14th at a ceremony in Los Angeles, California.
Here’s a video of Bono singing “Pride (In the Name of Love)”.
