Vanessa Pappas and Chanel Contos among Vogue Australia’s top 21 inspirational women

·

Vogue Australia has released its list of 21 inspirational Australian women for 2021 and among those named are Vanessa Pappas and Chanel Contos.

Who are they? How have they defined the conversations around Australia this year? The Greek Herald finds out.

Vanessa Pappas, Global COO of TikTok:

Vanessa Pappas.

Vanessa Pappas is a Queensland-educated executive who lives in Los Angeles with her wife and two young children.

This year, Pappas was named the Global Chief Operating Officer of TikTok, a short-video platform which hit one billion active monthly users in September.

Prior to this, she was interim CEO at the company and took on former US President Donald Trump, who was threatening to ban the app in the US. She initiated a lawsuit against the government with the response: “we’re not planning on going anywhere.”

TikTok’s office in Culver City, California. Photo: Rozette Rago for The New York Times.

But with Trump toppled from the White House, this crisis was averted. Now, Pappas is focused on expanding the platform’s reach globally and continuing to build a strong community.

“Day in and day out, I have been inspired by the TikTok community who have started cultural movements, kept their small businesses afloat, and kept us entertained,” she told Vogue Australia.

Chanel Contos, Consent advocate:

Chanel Contos. Photo: Timeout.com.

23-year-old Chanel Contos’ petition for young women to share their sexual assault experiences earlier this year yielded thousands of testimonies and spurred a parliamentary reckoning.

The former student from Sydney’s Kambala Girls’ School also pushed for a more “holistic” approach to sexual education, suggesting it address topics such as consent, rape culture, slut shaming, toxic masculinity and queer sex education. 

READ MORE: Chanel Contos’ petition sparks sex education changes across Australian schools.

She told Vogue Australia she hopes 2022 will be the year to address issues around sexual education and to think about “how are we moving forward?”

Chanel’s petition garnered thousands of responses.

“I hope in 2022, gender equality is at the forefront of political issues, a driving force in the election, and causes people to really step up,” she said.

READ MORE: Chanel Contos’ petition forces NSW Parliament to debate the state’s sex education curriculum.

Contos, who is currently in London, also has plans to meet with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the near future.

Source: Vogue Australia.

Cretan Convention - Web Banner

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From crisis to compassion: Timos Roussos and his family’s mercy mission in war-torn Cyprus

When Turkish troops landed on Cyprus on 20 July 1974, six-year-old Timos Roussos was sitting on the floor of his family’s home in Lemesos.

A granddaughter returns: Georgia Georgiou retraces her yiayia’s occupied village in Cyprus

When Georgia Georgiou handed over her Cypriot ID at the border checkpoint to cross into occupied northern Cyprus, she felt an ache.

‘You never get over it’: A childhood shattered by the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

On a warm July morning in 1974, 10-year-old Anastasia Di Loreto (née Karatzia) was jolted awake by the sound of bombs falling on Kyrenia.

Cyprus: The paradox of tolerance and impunity for Turkey

The lack of a unified, systematic and practical strategy on the part of Greece has led the Cyprus crisis into national disarray.

Lost homes and lingering hope: Greek-Cypriots reflect on Turkish invasion and its aftermath

From hidden stories to haunting memories, two Greek-Cypriot men share what it means to carry the burden of Cyprus’ past.

You May Also Like

Adelaide pastor Daniel Menelaou arrested in US over child abuse material allegations

Daniel Menelaou, a 28-year-old youth pastor from Adelaide, has been arrested in the US on charges related to child exploitation material.

Greece’s Ambassador visits offices of the Greek Orthodox Community of SA

The Ambassador of Greece to Australia, Stavros Venizelos, visited the offices of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia on Saturday.

Latest round of testing in Fronditha Care’s St Albans aged care facility show negative results

A resident who tested positive for coronavirus at Fronditha Care's St Alban's aged care facility has died. The latest round of testing show negative results for other residents.