Time 100 Next: Women leading the future in arts, politics, and science
Time magazine has released its 100 Next list, highlighting people who are already influencing the future, according to a Kazinform News Agency correspondent. The nominees were suggested by the magazine’s staff and guest experts. Alongside men, the list includes women, featuring artists, politicians, activists, and scientists. Here are a few of them.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter was nominated by Christina Aguilera, who noted that behind the ease and casualness of the 25-year-old pop singer lays composure, focus, and groundedness. “Sabrina is where she is for a reason and ahead of her years,” said Aguilera.
With her clever wit and sense of humor, she has been able to connect with audiences in a unique way stylistically, through her songwriting and storytelling prowess.
“While she is at the tender age of 25, I realize our symbolic, full-circle connection, as my own debut album turns 25 this same year, which brings me a sense of not only celebration but also reflection. As exciting generations of pop princesses continue to emerge, I feel adoration and protectiveness, knowing the journey at hand and ahead,” added Christina Aguilera.
Nicola Coughlan
Actress Nicola Coughlan became famous for her role as Penelope in Bridgerton, but “in real life, she is much more. She is her own diamond of every season who lights up every room she enters. She is a warm, engaging, and thoughtful person who fights for causes she believes in and displays a generosity of spirit to everyone she meets,” said showrunner Shonda Rhimes.
Often subjected to body shaming, Coughlan insisted her character have more intimate scenes in the show’s second season. “It was the biggest ‘screw you’ to all the talk about my body; it was incredibly empowering,” she admitted.
Kaia Gerber
In 2020, while quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic, model Kaia Gerber suggested that her followers read and discuss books together—the first being Normal People by Sally Rooney. In 2024, Gerber started a book club called Library Science, where she suggests books that tackle important contemporary issues and hosts interviews with authors.
“When I wrote a book with my mother, Kaia invited me to her book club, Library Science, and I saw an entirely new side of her: her curiosity manifested, the deeply personal connection she fosters and nurtures, and the joy she has for the written word,” said actress Laura Dern, who nominated her.
Kali Reis
Kali Reis is an actress best known for her role as a police officer in the fourth season of True Detective, where her partner was Jodie Foster. Like her character, Reis is of Native American descent. She’s also a former world champion boxer in two weight classes. Actress Lily Gladstone, who nominated Reis, believes that this experience lends her characters determination and inner strength: “As with all great actors and badass Indigenous aunties, Kali’s authenticity is grounded by love. Her heart leads, and it is undeniable.”
Anna Sawai
In 2024, Sawai made history as the first actress of Asian descent to win an Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The New Zealand actress of Japanese origin won the award for her role as Lady Mariko in the series Shogun. Her co-star Hiroyuki Sanada, who nominated her, believes Sawai can play anyone.
“It was also her first time starring in a samurai drama. The effort she put into creating her character, Lady Mariko, was incredible. She had to learn so many things so quickly: riding a horse, walking in a kimono, fighting with a naginata, and performing in both English and samurai era Japanese, which we never use in modern life,” said the actor. “She’d call me on the weekend about the next week’s dialogue, and we’d talk about the meaning and the pronunciation, the rhythm and tone… She brought a kind of peace to the set, bringing everyone together: the Western crew, the Japanese crew. She was so kind, and thoughtful, and she played her role with such grace.”
Ilona Maher
Ilona Maher is an American rugby player and participant in the 2024 Paris Olympics. She gained popularity on social media by sharply responding to body-shaming comments. When someone commented on her photo that she likely had a high Body Mass Index (BMI), Maher replied, “I think you meant to roast me, but it’s a fact. My BMI is 30 - well, actually, 29.3. I’m considered overweight. But, alas, I’m going to the Olympics, and you’re not.”
Before the games began, Maher posted a viral video, reminding everyone: “All body types matter, all body types are worthy, from the smallest gymnast to the tallest volleyball player, from a Rugby player to a shot putter and a sprinter. All body types are beautiful and can do amazing things,” she continued. “So truly see yourself in these athletes and know that you can do it too.”
Paetongtarn Shinawatra
38-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra is the Prime Minister of Thailand and the youngest female politician in Asia. Her rise to power wasn’t unexpected, as Paetongtarn is the daughter of billionaire and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Her father, as well as her aunt and uncle (who also held government positions), were ousted from office, meaning Paetongtarn must chart a new political path to avoid repeating the mistakes of her predecessors.
Lara Trump
Time correspondent Eric Cortellessa included Lara Trump, the wife of Donald Trump’s son Eric, in the list. In March 2024, Lara Trump became chair of the Republican National Committee. Some saw this as nepotism, but since then, she has become a rising star among Republicans, according to Cortellessa, “She’s helped the party raise hundreds of millions of dollars; played a key role in persuading Trump to embrace voting by mail, something he spurned in 2020; and delivered a keynote address at the Republican National Convention.” If Trump wins the upcoming election, his daughter-in-law may take a position in the administration.
Michelle O’Neill
The government of Northern Ireland is led by two individuals: the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister. This power-sharing arrangement is designed to balance the interests of the two main political groups—unionists and nationalists. Since 1999, the position of First Minister had been held by representatives of unionist parties, but in February 2024, it was taken by Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Féin, a party advocating for the reunification of Ireland.
O’Neill built a successful political career despite becoming a mother as a teenager. She comes from a family with ties to the Irish Republican Army (IRA), which fought against British authorities and was responsible for several terrorist attacks. O’Neill has emphasized that she will represent the interests of all Northern Ireland residents, including unionists. “She is determined to consign the failed politics of sectarianism, inequality, and exclusion to the past. From day one, she said that she would be a “First Minister for all,”said Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
Ylva Götberg and Maria Drout
Two scientists were nominated by astrophysicist Priyamvada Natarajan, who herself was listed among Time’s 100 most influential people in April. “If there is one part of astrophysics that we would all expect to be neatly tied up in terms of our understanding, it would be the theory of stellar evolution. However, there still remain some key puzzles, like the paucity of theoretically predicted hot helium stars whose hydrogen envelopes have been stripped, likely by a partner star that devoured them,” said Natarajan.
Astronomers Ylva Götberg and Maria Drout developed a new method to search for predicted stars, combining observations and theoretical models. Their efforts led to the discovery of 25 such stars, whereas only one was known before. This finding is crucial for understanding the number of core-collapse supernovae and neutron stars, which can merge and create space-time ripples.
