Chrissy Teigen is 2020’s Woman of The Year

By Lea Palmieri @littleleap
Published Dec. 8, 2020, 9:15 a.m. ET

Chrissy Teigen changed the world in 2020. A lot changed, sure, but Chrissy caused a shift that will be felt and discussed for many years to come.

While the global pandemic (maybe you’ve heard of it?) and the Black Lives Matter movement will also leave their mark on one hell of a year, a lot of people will look back and remember the bravery of the mom, model, and social media superstar. As it is, she accomplished a lot. She had a Quibi show and appeared on the cover of magazines and worked on her Cravings brand which is no longer simply a cookbook, but an entire empire. As we were stuck inside during the spring, Chrissy expertly documented and let us into her home, which no doubt seems like the most fun place to be ever. Can I come over and wear a princess dress and eat pasta too, please? She modeled bathing suits in the mirror, shared adorable moments with her kids Luna and Miles and husband John Legend, and as per usual, she used social media to riff on Bravo shows with the same nonchalance she shut down some of the internet’s most repellent trolls. Even George Clooney likes to watch what she’s up to, telling GQ, “I have much more fun watching Chrissy Teigen. Somebody steps into her world and you go, ‘Oh, I wouldn’t do that, dude.’ It’s so much fun. Like somebody who thinks they’re really smart, and you just go, ‘Ugh, dude. You brought a knife to a gunfight.'”

So we were also unsurprisingly transfixed when Chrissy shared even more personal details than usual: first that she was getting her breast implants removed earlier this year, and then over the summer when John debuted his new family-focused music video for “Wild” and Chrissy debuted a beautiful baby bump. She’s been open about her struggles with pregnancy in the past so this felt like such a joyous moment, especially in 2020.

We then watched her on bed rest at home, and then nervously as she documented her stay in the hospital once she started bleeding. I remember watching every single Instagram story video she posted as they were expectedly humorous and sincere and also because I found myself genuinely worried if she was ok. Hospitals, more than ever, feel incredibly scary.

It turns out, there was reason to worry. We will not get adorable photos of baby Jack at home with his siblings, but we did get one that will live in our minds and our hearts forever. Chrissy made the remarkable decision to share her loss with the world via Instagram, opening up vast international conversations and discussions that millions of women (and men) were never sure they could have.

She — somehow, and I can’t even fathom it — took to Medium a month later to share even more feelings on the devastating matter. It was an essay in Chrissy’s exceptional voice that covered trauma, grief, and support in terms anyone could understand and relate to. It was an education not only in that particular practice of photography, but a reminder of how to be there for the people in your lives after an unthinkable event.

The way that Brene Brown teaches us to be vulnerable, Chrissy shows us. Nearly every single day. She has connected us in a year when we’ve been advised to (physically) stay apart. I was so glad that she took time away from social media to attempt to heal, and yet selfishly I was also so glad to have her back on my feed, not just because I’m nosy, but because… she nourishes our souls. I mean that. Her humor, her no-bullshit statements, the way she cares for those around her. Her social media posts are more than just a celebrity being hot and clever. People learn from them. She has educated the world in so many ways just by being herself — which is the best way to do it.

If you’ve ever tried to be really open and honest and vulnerable and 100% you, especially on the internet — that shit is hard. And not only does Chrissy do it, and every day, she makes it look easy. She shares the joy that radiates from her beautiful family and laughs at her mistakes in the kitchen and seems to have never held back from admitting a body insecurity. She’s a modern prophet that isn’t afraid to have a pottymouth.

I’m fully convinced that Meghan Markle was also inspired by Chrissy, and would’ve otherwise never dared to share the news of her own miscarriage in a New York Times essay last month. So yeah, even the royals are taking notes.

Chrissy has continued to keep it real, as we must assume she knows no other way. It’s comforting and communal to see her document her bad days, even if she’s wrapped in a much more luxurious blanket than the rest of us. Chrissy is a model, yes, but the most important job she’s booked, even if unwittingly, is that of role model. She’s impacted millions of personal lives, some of which people just might be gathering up the courage to share publicly, a la Meghan. I love her social media, but I love her social impact even more.