In gastronomy
Julia Sedefjian, the youngest starred chef in France
« I started at the very bottom of the ladder as a clerk. At first it was not easy. I had left my family and my friends, and I wanted to prove that I could smash anything. », she declares to the Academy of Taste. Julia Sedefjian climbed all the ladders, going to Paris at the age of just 17 to fulfill her teenage dream: to work in the kitchen. Little by little, strong in her character and determined, she finds herself deputy head, directs a brigade and becomes, two years later, head. A new challenge is then offered to the Niçoise: to keep the prestige of the restaurant and to preserve the star acquired by its predecessor. Finally, in 2016, the Michelin guide validated the distinction, which allowed her to become the youngest starred in France. The rest is history. Julia Sedefjian will open three other brands: a restaurant, Baieta in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, with two friends Sébastien Jean-Joseph (in the kitchen) and Grégory Anelka (in the dining room), a dining bar called Baby pot and finally a 100% gluten-free vegan restaurant called Cicero. In 2019, the champion finally won her second distinction from the Michelin guide.
Anne-Sophie Pic, eight stars on the apron
She is unquestionably the most starred chef in the world. Anne-Sophie Pic, chef of the gourmet restaurant The Peak House in Valence, has 8 stars (three in Valence, two in Lausanne, two in London and one in Paris). A logical destiny for this daughter and granddaughter of chefs who initially abandoned cooking in favor of a management degree. Anne-Sophie Pic returned to her first love of cooking when her father died in 1992 and decided to work hard to restore the image of the family restaurant “La Maison Pic) which had lost one of its three stars in 1995. Then goes on: in 2007, she won her third star, in 2011, she won the Veuve Clicquot prize for the best female chef in the world. The following years Anne-Sophie opened other restaurants in Valence, such as the Scookthen became the owner of the Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne, Switzerland and of The Lady of Pic in Paris as well as in London. If she is also determined and gifted in the kitchen, the starred chef is also very committed to the place of women in restaurants. Wishing to change mentalities, it employs 80% of women in its establishments. ” I expect men to recognize women, their work. It is necessary today for society. They are doing it more and more: many male leaders have women in their brigade. But there are still macho, misogynistic behaviors, we must not deny it she told AFP.
Also to discover : Anne-Sophie Pic shares her secret marshmallow recipe, soft and airy, it takes us back to childhood
In the sports world
Naomi Osaka, the tennis champion icon of commitment to the mental health of sportswomen
At the age of 24, the Japanese professional tennis player is as talented as she is committed. With 4 Grand Slam tournaments won (the Indian Wells and the US Open in 2018 then the Australian Open in 2020 and 2021), she becomes world number 1. Equally inspiring, Naomi Osaka collaborates with many brands and in 2019, she becomes the highest paid female athlete in the world. It was truly on May 31, 2021 that she created astonishment by announcing her withdrawal from the Roland-Garros tournament, in order to preserve her mental health. In a long text, she reveals to suffer from social anxiety and psychological distress.
This speech, which helped to highlight mental health in athletes, aroused emotion among athletes who gave him their support, in particular Martina Navratilova, a former professional tennis player, who spoke on twitter: ” As athletes we are told to take care of our bodies, perhaps the mental and emotional aspect is left out. It goes far beyond doing or not doing press conferences “. As sporty as she is committed, Naomi Osaka had positioned herself in favor of the Black Lives Matter movement launched in the United States in 2020.
Clarisse Agbégnénou, committed Olympic medalist and feminist
In July 2021, Clarisse Agbégnénou, a French judokate, won her first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics by taking her revenge, 5 years later, against the Slovenian Tina Trstenjak who had beaten her in the final of the Rio Olympics in 2016. tatami mats, the champion is committed to women and young girls’ access to sports, games and professions. As a true model of inspiration, the Olympic champion is involved in the fight against sexism in sport.
Taboo subjects, such as menstruation or maternity among top athletes, she also makes it her business. She even became an ambassador for the menstrual panties brand made in France, Réjane. ” When I got my first period, I started stressing about the white kimono. As I grew up, I matured, evolved. It is necessary that the company opposite as much “, she explained to Ouest France.
In civil society
Vanessa Nakaté, Ugandan environmental activist and spokesperson for Africa against climate change
At the age of 25, Ugandan Vanessa Nakaté is a role model in environmental activism. True spokesperson for Africa in the protection of the planet, the young woman appeared alongside Greta Thunberg during the COP26 in order to make known the interests and the place of Africa in the fight against the disruption climatic. It was in 2018 that she made the decision to get involved, after the deadly floods that had violently hit East Africa. After organizing several demonstrations, the African activist founded Rise Up Movement, an organization of environmental defenders in Africa. In the same line, she launched the project Vash Green Schools in Uganda to install solar panels and eco-friendly ovens in rural schools. At the end of October 2021, she was on the cover of Time Magazine with the title “The Activist”. Vanessa is THE environmental activist to follow in 2022!
Camille Etienne, symbol of the fight for the climate in France
A 22-year-old student, Camille Etienne has become a true symbol of youth fighting for the climate. In 2021, she made the decision to commit to fighting for the preservation of the planet because ” it’s an entire society that no longer works and we have to dare to shake up the old world, and bring new values “, she had declared to France Inter. Very quickly, she became the spokesperson for the movement We are readya collective of activist videographers, but it is his video titled let’s wake up, which propelled her to the front of the militant scene. It will have been seen more than 10 million times worldwide. In this one, she pushes the new generation to mobilize for the planet because ” she’s the last one who can do something “. In 2021, his fight brings him to the side of politicians like Cécile Duflot or Cyril Dion, to denounce the climate law.
Amal Clooney, international women’s rights lawyer
Apart from her star couple with American actor George Clooney, Amal Clooney is an international lawyer renowned for her fight for women’s rights around the world. His records are impressive: securing the conviction of Islamic State terrorists for rape, sexual slavery of Yazidi women, translation before the International Criminal Court, Omar El-Bechir, the former Sudanese president for genocide and crime against humanity in Darfur. She also got involved with local associations in Tanzania to help withdraw the text aimed at prohibiting pregnant or married students from attending school. Her commitments have led her to appear on the cover of Time as “Woman of the Year” alongside 11 female personalities who act for a more egalitarian world. “ I am guided by what outrages me the most “, she also declared to Maria Ressa for the Time.
In the art world
Three women authors finalists for the Grand Prix of the Angoulême Comics Festival
On March 1, 2022, the organizer of the Angoulême Comics Festival revealed the names of the three finalists who will compete for the Grand Prix. Three authors, three feminist and committed women: Julie Doucet, Catherine Meurisse and Pénélope Bagieu.
Catherine Meurisse : Designer, author, caricaturist, reporter and illustrator, she is a complete artist! She worked for 15 years with major press titles (Le Monde, Liberation, L’Obs, etc.) before turning to comics and published Le Ponts des arts (Sarbacane), Modern Olympia (Futuropolis) and Funny women. (Dargaud in collaboration with Julie Birmant). Having worked at Charlie Hebdo, she produced, in 2016, a touching and moving comic strip Lightness. In his latest album, The Young Woman and the SeaCatherine Meurisse raises the question of the place of Man in nature and the use of art to freeze vanishing landscapes.
Julie Doucet: originally from Montreal, she is one of the most important authors of this century. She began her career in comics with Dirty Plotte, a fanzine (publication with low circulation, editor’s note) in which she recounts her daily life in French and in English. In 2021, she publishes Maxiplotte, a comic strip that retraces all her work carried out between 1987 and 1999. The life of the body, menstruation, sexual desire, gender stereotypes and her experiences as women, all these themes evoked make her, “a precursor of a new feminism in comics,” essayist Anne-Elizabeth Moore said in 2018.
Penelope Bagieu : After studying at the Arts Déco in Paris and then at the Central Saint Martins in London, she exposes her life as a Parisian on her comic blog My life is quite fascinating. Subsequently, she published stories, but it was in 2016 that her work took a feminist turn. The publication of portraits of women in Culottés brought him resounding success: his album was translated into 20 languages and won the 2019 Eisner Award. Two volumes were even adapted into an animated version by France TV!
–
