100 WOMEN WE LOVE 2008
Lily Tomlin’s extraordinary career as a funny lady bloomed on the TV show Laugh-In in 1969, the year of the Stonewall rebellion. Fittingly, she has woven feminism and LGBT life into her characters—the not-so-hardworking phone operator Ernestine, Violet Newstead in 9 to 5 and the numerous personas populating The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, the one-woman play written by Tomlin’s partner Jane Wagner, for which Tomlin won a Tony Award. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for her turn as Linnea Reese in Robert Altman’s Nashville, played recurring roles on TV shows from Murphy Brown to The West Wing, and has won six Emmys, a Grammy, and a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 1977. Tomlin, who has called Wagner the most influential person in her life and career, narrated 1995’s landmark LGBT documentary The Celluloid Closet. –KL
In no particular order…
Hats off to the 100 Women We Love, class of 2008 (in no particular order, ’cause we love ’em all!).
Deb Malkin
Even after seven years working for an online, plus-size clothing retailer, plus-size clothing pioneer Deb Malkin felt there was something missing from her own shopping experience—community. While the Internet offered a wider selection than New York City’s brick-and-mortar shops, she missed hanging out with her friends, trying on clothes and asking for advice on what to buy. Hence her decision to open Re/Dress, a vintage and resale clothing store featuring sizes 14 and up. Malkin’s vision for Re/Dress, which opens in Brooklyn this summer, is based in her core beliefs as a fat activist. “I’m really interested in connecting with women and giving them a positive message,” she says. Bonus: her wares are recycled and affordable, so go ahead and shop till you drop. –LL
In no particular order…
