The 2021 TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people featured pioneers like Billie Eilish, titans like Simone Biles and icons like Britney Spears. The TIME100 broadcast special highlighted these figures—and more—Monday night on ABC.
The primetime TV event featured performances from Eilish and country music star Kane Brown. It also shined a spotlight on Spears’ battle to regain control of her life, and the incredible advances humanity has made in space—thanks in part to SpaceX founder Elon Musk and NASA scientist MiMi Aung.
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Here are some of the biggest moments from Monday’s TIME100 special on ABC.
Kate Winslet took on the myth of the ‘perfect’ female celebrity
Kate Winslet, who had just bagged an Emmy Award for her role in Mare of Easttown on Sunday, talked about working to redefine the portrayal of women on screen.
“As an entertainment industry we all have a responsibility to make sure that we are being absolutely authentically true to who we are,” she told TIME. “That we’re not being skinny and conforming. That we’re not changing our faces, that we’re not altering our bodies and achieving some strange idea of perfection that doesn’t exist.”
Winslet’s message to Hollywood: “Be yourself. It’s the easiest thing to remember how to do.”
Simone Biles put her humanity first
Biles was already the greatest gymnast of her time, and was expected to add to her four gold medals at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Instead, she did something bigger; her stunning decision to withdraw from the women’s all-around gymnastics final vaulted mental health into the international conversation.
“For years, I’ve only ever been congratulated for winning. Now it’s like—for being human, for being vulnerable,” Biles told TIME.
The 24-year-old returned to Olympic competition to win a bronze medal on the balance beam. But more than the medals, Biles rejoices in the knowledge that stepping aside was a victory on its own.
“Just putting yourself first, as a human, rather than an athlete, was very powerful. Because most people forget the human aspect of ourselves,” Biles said. “This bronze feels like a gold to me.”
She added: “I feel like I got back up. I had that courage, I fought. And I didn’t care about the outcome.”
Allyson Felix and Tracee Ellis Ross recognized their power
Tracee Ellis Ross and Allyson Felix made the TIME100 list for breaking barriers, and then using their power to change the world.
Felix …read more
Source:: Time – Entertainment
