Canadian Women Now and Then: More than 100 Stories of Fearless Trailblazers
ACTORS Lilly Singh NOW Born 1988 Birthplace Scarborough Ontario Whaddup It's your girrrl Superwoman If you've ever watched Lilly Singh's videos then you know that's how they begin And you probably have her videos have been viewed about 3 billion times She's become one of YouTube's biggest stars Lilly comes across as confident but she wasn't always that way After studying psychology in university she didn't know what she wanted to do She began making YouTube videos in 2010 to cope with depression Lilly decided to use the name IISuperwomanll for her channel That's because when she was a kid she believed she had an invisible Son her chest like a superhero It made her think she could do anything Lilly writes directs and stars in her videos They often show her Punjabi culture and she plays characters based on her mom and dad Her fans Lilly calls them Team Super love watching her make comedy out of everyday life Lilly has also appeared in movies and has several of her own web series As well as being an actor Lilly is a comedian singer and music video producer She is also a social activist In 2016 she began her campaign #Girllove to encourage positivity and support among girls and women Lilly spread the message by having celebrities talk about why it's cool for women to help one another She also works with the organization ME to WE to raise money for girls education in developing countries Lilly created the word bawse rhymes with house to describe someone who is confident and a boss at life She encourages every girl and woman to be a bawse In 2019 Lilly became the host of her own late night talk show
Mary Pickford THEN 1892-1979 Birthplace Toronto Ontario Gladys Louise Smith didn't want to act in films she thought they weren't as good as live theatre But she was tired of making so little money for her roles So in 1909 when she had a chance to act in a film and earn better pay she changed her mind about movies She also changed her name to Mary Pickford On Mary's first day of filming she earned five dollars and was asked to return the next day She said she would but only if she was given ten dollars Mary got the raise and began to like acting in films Moviegoers loved the spunky characters that Mary played By now she was living in Hollywood and became known as America's sweetheart Mary wasn't afraid to ask for more money for her work Filmmakers thought she was rude for demanding higher pay but she was one of film's most popular stars and expected her pay to show it In the early 1900s when most women didn't work outside the home Mary earned up to 350,000 per movie At age 24 she was Hollywood's first millionaire It wasn't long before movie studios couldn't afford Mary's salary She also wanted more control over the kinds of movies she made So in 1919 Mary became a cofounder of United Artists studio along with three men in Hollywood including Charlie Chaplin Soon she was starring in producing and distributing her own movies No woman had done this before Mary won two Academy Awards one in 1930 for the film Coquette and a lifetime achievement award in 1976. But more important she paved the way for independent women in Hollywood
ARCHITECTS Brigitte Shim NOW Born 1958 Birthplace Kingston Jamaica Born in Jamaica to Chinese parents Brigitte Shim arrived in Toronto with her family as a child It was winter and she felt she had stepped into a a gigantic freezer A few days later she got her first glimpse of snow when a blizzard hit Being surrounded by snowflakes made Brigitte appreciate Canada's natural beauty- an experience that would influence her as an architect While studying architecture at the University of Waterloo Brigitte met her husband Howard Sutcliffe They formed their own firm in 1994 Shim Sutcliffe Architects based in Toronto The company quickly became famous for its creative and sophisticated designs They have won many prestigious awards including 14 Governor General's Medals in Architecture It's important to Brigitte that her buildings fit into their surroundings and incorporate local traditions materials and construction techniques One of Brigitte's most famous designs is for her own home Laneway House in Toronto Many architects might choose expensive materials for their homes But for Laneway House Brigitte combined inexpensive materials such as concrete with higher quality ones such as mahogany The house's location was also an unusual choice it's in a laneway between the neighbours garages Brigitte hopes that her home will show how laneways can be a better use of space for cities Another of Brigitte's world famous designs is Weathering Steel House in Toronto Even rock star David Bowie asked to take a tour inside this unusual home
Esther Marjorie Hill THEN 1895-1985 Birthplace Guelph Ontario It wasn't easy for women to become architects a hundred years ago Esther Marjorie Hill found that out when studying at the University of Toronto Her male classmates made rude comments and her professors ignored her Esther was determined to succeed and in 1920 she became the first woman to earn an architecture degree in Canada After graduating Esther applied to the Alberta Association of Architects so she could work in the province But one examiner didn't approve of female architects Esther was told she wasn't qualified enough and her application was denied She took more courses in Toronto and New York and reapplied to the association in 1925. Finally she was accepted She was the first woman to become a registered architect in Canada Many architecture firms wouldn't hire Esther because she was a woman From 1925 to 1928 she found work at a New York company By 1928 she had become an assistant at an Edmonton firm Then the Great Depression hit There was little building or work for architects Esther lost her job After World War II there was again money for building Esther opened a firm in Victoria British Columbia With her modern straightforward style she designed apartment buildings churches houses and retirement homes But she still battled discrimination Once a male client tried to take credit for Esther's designs claiming she had only drawn up the plans Esther became a busy successful architect sometimes designing three houses a week She paved the way for women in her field Wonderful Women Esther was not the only groundbreaker in her family Her mother Jennie Stork Hill 1866-1939 was one of the first women to study at the University of Toronto
