Just when we thought we couldn't love her anymore, Queen Bey went and dropped Lemonade. Described by some as a love letter to black women, the stunning visual album explores some of the complex struggles many black women face all within twelve badass songs. Touching on issues including police brutality and racial tensions, the seemingly autobiographical album also got social media in a spin thanks to it's 'I’m-not-gonna-take-your-cheating' lyrics which sent the rumour mill into overdrive about husband Jay Z's alleged infidelity. But whether or not the music was about her own personal experiences, there's no doubting the album itself was boundary-breaking. Hardly surprising therefore that it went on to receive four Emmy nominations, nine Grammy nominations and a “Best Album of the Year” award from Rolling Stone. [Photo: Getty]

Having bravely shared her story of a past sexual assault in a bid to encourage other women to speak out about their own experiences, Lady Gaga gave the most powerful performance of her life at this year's Oscars. Appearing on stage alongside 50 sexual assault survivors, the Bad Romance singer belted out "Til It Happens To You" a song about how it feels to be the victim of rape, that left the audience in a tearful standing ovation. 2016's Academy Awards belonged to Lady Gaga. [Photo: Getty]

Ok so she might not have actually become the first female President of the United States *sobs*, but Hillary still made history by becoming the first female nominee of a major party, doing her bit to try and smash down glass ceilings in the process. Not only did her campaign centre around women's issues, her inspirational speeches were peppered with empowering female quotes including this little gem from her concession speech: “To all the little girls watching, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world.” *still sobbing* [Photo: Getty]

on Day 8 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Rio Olympic Velodrome on August 13, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Ashley Graham becomes the first 'plus-size' model to front Sports Illustrated Body positivity turned a corner in 2016, thanks largely to Ashley Graham and a slew of other gorgeous gals determined to prove that #AllBodiesAreBeautiful. But the real win for diversity came in February when Ashley Graham made history by being the first 'plus size' model to score the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition and absolutely slayed it. Special 'girl power' model mentions also go to out to size-14 model Iskra Lawrence who won the Internet in February by calling out the social media's ridiculous thigh gap trend. "No thigh gap or thigh gap who cares?" she captioned a side by side photo of herself on Instagram, one with a gap in her thighs and one without, proving not everything is as it seems on social media. And model Mahalia Handley who's been quietly spreading her own body positive vibes throughout the industry and who earlier this year rocked in a hugely high profile campaign for Selfridges. Go gals! [Photo: Getty]

The modest fashion movement had a storming year this year. And what better way to chalk up another win for inclusivity than having the first ever all-hijab runway to appear at New York Fashion Week? Back in September Muslim designer, Anniesa Hasibuan debuted her modest collection and became not only the first Indonesian to show at one of the official NYFW venues but also the first to present a collection that had every look outfitted with hijabs. And boy was it stunning. [Photo: Getty]

Can you imagine how tiresome it would be if every time you put on a bit of weight, was pictured with a bag across your stomach or dared to go out for a big lunch which left you a little on the bloated side people started analysing your body for signs of a bump and the world's media plastered 'pregnancy exclusive' headlines all over the shop? Well that was pretty much life for Jennifer Aniston. Until XX that is, when the 47-year-old actress decided she'd had enough and penned a powerful essay calling out the body-shamers and urging people to stop obsessing about her uterus. "For the record, I am not pregnant. What I am is fed up," the she wrote in a blog post on The Huffington Post. "I'm fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of 'journalism,' the 'First Amendment' and 'celebrity news.' " "The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing. The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty." You tell em Jen! [Photo: Getty]

She may have made history at the 2016 Grammys by becoming the first woman to win Album of the Year twice, but Taylor Swift wanted to use her acceptance speech for more than just thanking her fans. Speaking to "the young women out there", the popstress gave a perfectly judged lesson in getting the upper hand. Less than a week after Kanye West Famous dig at Taylor, in which he suggested her fame was down to him crashing her moment at the 2009 MTV Awards, she took to the podium to give a thinly veiled diss of the Swift variety. “There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success, or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” she said. “But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday, when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there, and that will be the greatest feeling in the world.” Preach Tay Tay. Preach. [Photo: Getty]

For years Haarnaam Kaur was bullied thanks to the hormone condition Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), which causes her to grow excess facial body hair. Now she's a model, activist and Instagram star who in 2016 not only made her debut on the catwalk at London Fashion Week (and absolutely killed it, we might add), but was also awarded a Guinness World Record for being the youngest woman to have a full beard. “I am super proud to hold this record, the inner child in me is so pleased," she wrote on Instagram. "It is amazing to be valued and celebrated being a bearded lady. I hope those who read or see my record can take away positivity, inspiration, and realize that no matter who you are or what you look like, you are officially amazing!” [Photo: Instagram/HarnaamKaur]

When Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a "nasty woman" in the final presidential debate, the female of the species were not about to take it lying down. Feminists everywhere got together to flood social media with nasty memes, photos, banners and the like. “Get this, Donald: Nasty women are tough. Nasty women are smart. And nasty women vote," warned Elizabeth Warren. Ok, so ultimately Trump was elected, but we're sure we haven't heard the last of the nasty woman fight. [Photo: Getty]