"Bono Just Became Glamour's First Man of the Year," exclaims the headline at Glamour Magazine. Note that it does not say, contra to the claims of reporters and commentators seemingly everywhere, that he's been named Woman of the Year, and most definitely not the Woman of the Year.
Now, I'm not a reader of the magazine, and I have no idea if their Women of the Year list is an event many feminists regard as important or not. Nor do I know whether most would see the inclusion of an award for a male feminist as desirable, or see Bono is a worthy candidate for such an award. My personal view is that, provided the MotY award doesn't overshadow the awards given to women, this inclusion can do little harm and may even do some good as a reminder that men should be just as opposed to inequality as woman. And guess what? On the magazine's own listing of the honourees, Bono's award doesn't overshadow the others. He's listed neither at the top nor the bottom nor even dead-on half way down, and roughly the same amount of internet ink is used on his blurb as is used on each of theirs.
No, Glamour did not make it all about Bono. Ironically, the people making it all about him are those who choose to spend thousands of words complaining about his inclusion, whilst the women who've been honoured are listed in a brief "Other honourees were…" paragraph or, more often, not mentioned at all.
Overlooking women to talk about a man? Umm, there's a name for that sort of behaviour. And on that note, I would encourage you, Gentle Reader, to take a look at Glamour's list and read the linked articles. Those are, in my opinion, some truly remarkable women. And yes, there's also a man who many would say is also remarkable, though whether or not it makes him eligible for such a list I'll leave for you to decide.
As for me, I'll leave you with the words of honouree Gwen Stefani.
—Daz
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