It was a year that started out suspiciously and didn’t really pick up from there.
But 2017 also taught us a lot about what it means to sympathize with others, to celebrate the things we share in common rather than put up walls of division, and to speak out for yourself and fight for what’s right.
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We should’ve known we were in for a rough year when Mariah Carey botched her New Year’s Eve performance as we rang in the first few seconds of 2017.
If even a superstar like Mariah couldn’t hold it together for 12 minutes, what hope did the rest of us have for the next 12 months?
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It’s hard to believe that President Trump has been in office for less than a year, but alas, Inauguration Day was January 20, 2017. And this picture seems to perfectly — and unfortunately — sum up the new Commander-in-Chief.
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Jane Fonda, Frances Fisher and thousands of others descended upon downtown L.A. in January for the Women’s March.
Millions more marched around the world in solidarity. Their goal was to raise awareness of women’s issues and demand equality and justice.
The march set the stage for a series of events in the fall that would encourage women to speak up – and speak out.
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When Serena Williams won the Australian Open in January, it was her 23rd Grand Slam victory, just one shy of Margaret Court’s record.
Even more impressive: Williams later revealed that she was pregnant during the tournament.
Williams and Reddit cofounder, Alexis Ohanian, welcomed their first child in September. The two were married two months later in a star-studded affair in New Orleans.
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The cast of Stranger Things stole our hearts this year, but it was Winona Ryder who stole the headlines with her weird facial expressions at the 2017 SAG Awards.
The Netflix series won for “Outstanding Drama” at the SAGs, and season two premiered in October to rave reviews.
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Lady Gaga’s 2016 release, Joanne, didn’t exactly set the charts on fire, but she turned up the heat during her performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February.
The show put the superstar singer firmly back in the spotlight. By the end of the year, she was announcing a big Vegas residency set to open next fall.
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Beyonce was all of us at the 59th Grammy Awards in February, when she forced a smile on her face despite her critically-acclaimed Lemonade losing “Album of the Year” to Adele.
Beyonce bounced back from the disappointment quickly. She gave birth to twins Sir and Rumi, in June.
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It’s like even Adele knew the award should have gone to Beyonce.
Though she was the Grammy’s big winner, the British singer had sort of an off-night, first re-starting her tribute to George Michael, and later looking visibly stunned (and maybe a little apologetic?) as she took home “Album of the Year” over Queen B.
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With everything else that has consumed Hollywood this year, it’s hard to believe that this now-infamous Oscars flub happened just back in February.
But just in case you’re still confused: the Best Picture Oscar went to Moonlight, not La La Land as many people still seem to recall incorrectly.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Ryan Gosling reacting to the winners mix-up is basically us, every day of 2017.
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Kendall Jenner sparked controversy in April when a commercial she filmed for Pepsi was called out for being tone-deaf.
In light of the current (tense) racial climate in America, the idea of a supermodel solving divisions on the street with a can of soda seemed like a far stretch – and it probably was.
Jenner tearfully apologized, “if anyone was offended” and she kept relatively quiet and stayed out of the spotlight for the rest of the year.
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It’s like even Katy Perry was over her outfit at the 2017 Met Gala in New York.
We’re not quite sure what the singer was going for in her Maison Margiela look, but the veil seems to say, “I’m over it.”
Given the tepid response to her new album, Witness, we’d probably be over it too.
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With all the tensions in the country this year, it was nice to see people from different sides (and different life experiences) coming together every once in a while.
Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart continued their unlikely friendship by teaming up to present at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards in May.
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Melania = all of us, mourning the Trump presidency.
The First Family paid a visit to the Pope in May, and the only one who seemed thrilled to be there was well, Trump.
Sidenote: Jared Kushner was also in attendance though all of the photos from the event seemed to have cut him out. #PoorJared.
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There were some bright spots this year, namely the arrival of Harry Styles as a breakthrough solo artist.
Styles’ album, Sign of the Times, debuted at the top of the charts worldwide, and the former boybander also starred in one of the year’s best-reviewed films, Dunkirk.
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This photo writes itself, though the actual caption is: “President Trump stares directly into the sunlight during a viewing of the solar eclipse at the White House in Washington.”
Think Melania’s using the sunglasses to view the eclipse, or to hide her embarrassment?
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After President Trump called on NFL owners to suspend players who kneel during the national anthem, the hashtag #TakeAKnee started to trend on Twitter, with hundreds of pro athletes speaking out — and taking a knee — in solidarity.
Though it seems like Trump has backed off on his criticisms, it should be noted that the guy who started this whole movement, Colin Kaepernick, is still unemployed.
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In early October, all hell broke loose in Hollywood after multiple women came forward to allege that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein had sexually harrassed them.
The most powerful voice in the room belonged to actress Rose McGowan, who had been speaking out against Weinstein for years, and finally saw her claims validated.
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Just days after the Weinstein scandal, actor Kevin Spacey was fired from his series, House of Cards, afer he was accused of sexual harrassment and assault.
Netflix wasn’t the only one to distance itself from Spacey. The actor was cut from Ridley Scott’s new film, All the Money in the World, with his scenes re-shot with Christopher Plummer.
The karma on the cake: Plummer earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role.
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Just when you thought it couldn’t get worse, celebrity chef Mario Batali was fired from his hosting gig at The Chew, after he was accused of inappropriate conduct in the workplace.
Just weeks earlier, Batali spoke at the opening of Eataly LA (pictured here) and said he had “zero tolerance” for sexual harrassment of any kind.
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When model Ming Xi fell during the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — in her hometown of Shanghai, no less — a collective gasp was heard around the world.
We expected more from our supermodels, but alas, they’re human too. And also: how far have we all kind of fallen this year?
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But if there’s one thing we’ve learned in 2017, it’s that it’s important to pick yourself up off the ground and keep going.
It helps to have a friend lend a hand too, in this case, a helping hand from fellow model Gizele Oliveira.
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At least we ended the year off on a high note: Prince Harry announced his engagement to actress Meghan Markle in November.
The newest royal couple are set to wed in May — a reason to already look forward to 2018.
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