2011 is the year of revolution and reform and women are at the helm of the change and have taken the lead in driving societal causes and social changes. In addition to social changes, these women have taken the bull by its horn in their own lives and now reap the benefits of their hard work in 2011. No one woman can be placed in one category, they are a sly and clever bunch. The interests here are wide and the causes are deep but the success of these gals are a symbol of their determination, spirit, and resolve.

Sexy, clever, courageous and funny, these women are the Most Interesting Women of 2011.

Read about their success after the show.

25. Singer and Actress Selena Gomez
Young artist, Selena Gomez, got her real start on the Disney series Wizards of Waverly Place. The squeaky clean actress has the paparazzi watching her closely for any mis-steps with equally popular beau, Justin Beiber. The two consistently grace the weeklies proving to be Hollywood’s youngest royal couple.

24. Comedian, Talk Show Host, Writer, and Producer Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres’ syndicated daytime show Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show continues to be a success. In addition to a slew of nominations, DeGeneres took home 3 Emmy awards, a Teen Choice, a People’s Choice, and a TV Guide Award. The bright eyed comedian continues to advocate for animal rights as well as produce.

This month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named DeGeneres a Special Envoy to Global Aids Awareness.

23. Actress Anne Hathaway
The doe eyed actress was asked to co-host the Academy Awards this past year and the results demonstrated Hathaway’s true charm and wit. Whether she carried the awards on her back is a matter of opinion but her courage to step out of her own comfort zone is to be admired.

Hathaway is a voice in animated film Rio and also starred in One Day this year. Anne is also recently engaged to long time boyfriend Adam Shulman. (Congrats, Anne!)

22. Child Advocate Triveni Acharya
Triveni Acharya is a journalist who now dedicates her life to rescuing young girls from the Indian sex trade through her organization Rescue Foundation. Acharya rescues 300 to 400 girls a year from human trafficking and repatriates them into society. The foundation is still in need of support. Donate to her organization at RescueFoundation.net.

21. Fashion Editor, Stylist and Icon Carine Roitfeld
One of the most influential minds in fashion, Carine Roitfeld left the helm of Vogue Paris this year in pursuit of “something different”. She shocked the community with her departure and all watched closely while speculations went flying on what the avant guarde mind would do next. A stint at V Magazine, a job styling Chanel’s fall campaign, modeling and styling for Barneys’ Fall 2011 ad campaign, editing Barneys catalogue, and a book release titled Irreverant – a culmination of photos from Roitfeld’s work and personal arsenal including notes from the late Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Tom Ford. “Where in the world is Carine Roitfeld” should be the title surrounding the craze amongst Roitfeld’s following.

20. Singer Amy Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011)
The world mourned Amy Winehouse when she was found dead in her London apartment on July 23rd. Investigations surrounding her untimely death continued while her 2006 album, Back to Black, became the UK’s best selling album of the 21st century. The untimely death of the Soul/Jazz/R&B singer left a great void in music. On September 11th, to commemorate what would have been Winehouse’s 28th birthday, her final recording was released – a duet with Tony Bennett entitled Body and Soul.

The coroner ruled her death was due to alcohol poisoning in October.

19. Comedian and Talk Show Host Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Handler has re-signed her contract through 2014 with E! for her late night talk show Chelsea Lately, an accomplishment no woman has enjoyed until Handler. Her late night success is largely due to her candid, self embrace and not taking herself too seriously. An author, Handler’s books have held the #1, #2, and #3 spots on the New York Times best-seller list simultaneously. She is currently working on a sitcom Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea which will in no doubt be a success. The gracious comedian offers, “I think women see themselves in me. I’m making a fool out of myself for us. I’m happy to do it.” [Glamour.com]

18. Singer and Songwriter Adele
Her sophomoric album, 21, released in January has been a major success for young talent, Adele. 21 has broken all sorts of records and have joined the ranks of the Beatles in recording 2 hits to simultaneously rank top 5 on 2 British charts. 21′s debut also hit number 1 in the US on Billboard’s 200 list and her 2nd release ranked number 1 on Billboard’s 100.

In November, Adele became the first artist to sell more than a million copies of an album on the European iTunes store. She also took home 3 awards at the American Music Awards including Favorite Female Pop/Rock Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Album.

17. Media Executive and Author Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington sold Huffington Post for $315 million to AOL this year and was named the Editor-in-Chief of AOL Huffington Post Media Group. She is referred to as the “queen of new media” as her Huffington Post website model was uniquely a success. Huffington authored “Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream”. Among lists made this year: Forbes Most Powerful Women and Glamour Woman of the Year

16. Comedian and Actress Melissa McCarthy
This year Melissa McCarthy took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedic series which was the perfect close to a major year. The dimple-face actress, in addition to starring on the CBS comedy series Mike & Molly, starred in the big blockbuster hit Bridesmaids, hosted the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards and guest Saturday Night Live on October 1st.

The actress will work on launching a collection for plus size women. Wife and mother of two, she still manages to keep us laughing.

15. Yemeni Journalist and Activist Tawakkul Karman
Tawakkul Karman became the face of the Yemeni uprising after long fighting for social changes regarding the press, government corruption, as well as women’s rights. Her 2011 protest against the government ignited when she was arrested in January. Karman continues to call for President Saleh to resign and to be held responsible for his crimes against the people. She is also working to set up a television and radio station to support female journalists and to broadly educate Yemeni journalists.

Karman is a laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

14. First Lady Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama is not a sitting First Lady. Constantly on the move, Obama’s initiative to end childhood obesity has brought about a pledge from Coca Cola, Kellogg, and General Mills to lower the calories in goods by 2012 – an amazing accomplishment. Her Let’s Move! campaign has children getting out to enjoy activities and she has brought her message to Africa. The First Lady visited South Africa and Botswana this year promoting youth leadership, healthy living, and women empowerment. Obama also did a tour (with the President) of Latin America where she also met with the countries’ leaders and talked to young people about the importance of giving back.

13. Liberian Activist Leymah Gbowee
Winner of the Nobel Prize for her work to end the Second Liberian Civil War, Gbowee authored a memoir titled Mighty Be Our Powers. In it she describes her own struggles, self realization, and how she found herself leading hundreds of women to negotiation discussions on Liberian unrest in Ghana to ensure a resolution was found. Weeks later, the war in Liberia ended.

Gbowee also received the Villanova Peace Award from Villanova University, Alumna of the Year from Eastern Mennonite University, and was named leader of President Sirleaf’s initiative “national peace and reconciliation” to address Liberia’s divisions and begin a national dialogue to bring the country together.

12. Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
The first female president of an African country (2005 elected), Sirleaf successfully ran for re-election this year. She was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman, “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”  Sirleaf is a women’s rights activists and vocal leader when considering world changes. Sirleaf severed ties with the Libyan government as leader Gaddafi lost control and she was the only African leader to offer the US to headquarter the new establishment of AFRICOM in Liberia.

Sirleaf has also been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard and an African Gender Award. She is listed as #62 on Forbes 100 Powerful Women.

11. Fashion and Celebrity Stylist Rachel Zoe
Rachel Zoe shared some of her experiences being pregnant through bringing home little Skyler with her fans and viewers of her VH1 reality series The Rachel Zoe Project. What was established, besides the fact that Skyler is the best dressed infant of 2011, is the determination of Zoe. While pregnant, Zoe launches her eponymous fashion label; continues to guest edit for Piperlime, established her collection at Bloomingdale’s; and continue to clad the top celebrities for the red carpet including fellow lister, Anne Hathaway. Hathaway’s biggest appearance yet – hosting the Academy Awards – was completely styled by Zoe. Hathaway may not have been a host favorite but she never looked better.

10. US Senator Gabrielle Giffords
The terroristic shooting occurring earlier this year in Phoenix shook the nation and further polarized the political parties. After the mud slinging on whose rhetoric caused the tragic event, what was left was the resolve of Senator Gabrielle Giffords. The tragedy shed light on one woman whose efforts to hear the people went beyond political parties and in the end delivered a greater message on the gravity of the responsibilities of public servants.

After a courageous fight for her life, Senator Giffords made a surprise return to the senate floor on August 1st to vote on the debt bill. She was greeted with a standing ovation by both sides. She has also been named one of Glamour’s Woman of the Year. She co-authored a book with husband, astronaut Mike Kelly, released this month, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope.

9. Performing Artist Beyonce Knowles
Delivering baby news at the MTV Music Awards broke all kinds of records on Twitter proving that Knowles’ star power is still strong and contentious. The news of her pregnancy remained a topic on all pipelines weeks after she delivered the news.

Knowles, married to rap mogul Jay-Z, continues to rank highly on Forbes 100 Powerful Women, the Celebrity 100, Money, and a slew of other lists. Her single, “Run the World (Girls)” is a worldwide hit and speaks to Knowles’ continued message to women of independence and power.

8. Performing Artist Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga has rewritten what it means to be an artist in the 21st Century and will probably join the ranks of iconic performers such as Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Madonna. Everything the pop artist touches turns to gold. Fellow performing artist Beyonce Knowles calls the young star, “the most talented pop artist” [Forbes.com], a well deserved description. She has begun deals with Google, Zynga, and Gilt. Her MAC endorsed lipgloss has raised $202 million to fight HIV and AIDS. She is also the first on Twitter to reach 12 million followers. Are you on Twitter? That is nothing to sneeze at.

7. Rapper Nicki Minaj
2011 was a breakthrough year for the radical styled artist. After Nicki Minaj had a musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live in January, by February, her album Pink Friday topped the Billboard 200 list. She has collaborated with David Guetta and Britney Spears and will open Spears tour. Minaj walked away with 2 American Music Awards reflecting one successful year for the Trinidadian star. Nicki Minaj is currently working on her sophomoric album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded due to be released early next year.

6. Media Guru Oprah Winfrey
Oprah said goodbye to fans on her daytime show Oprah and it may be the longest goodbye on record. The 4+ month event brought about surprise after surprise to properly bid fans farewell after profoundly impacting popular culture for more than two decades. With her OWN network, promoting the Oprah brand, her magazine, and her latest interview with Ralph Lauren, Oprah continues to impact and leave us in awe. She remains one of the richest and most influential people in the world.

5. Dutchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton
The former British commoner showed girls with princess dreams that fantasies do really come true. The world watched from the edge of their seats, and with a particular passion, Catherine Middleton wed the son of the Prince of Wales. A long favorite of the British media, Kate Middleton is now a worldwide phenomenon. Every outfit, every event, every trip she takes is documented, dissected, and compared to iconic mother-in-law Princess Diana by the media and fans. The watch has even spread to reach sister Pippa Middleton.

4. Esraa Abdel “Facebook Girl” Fattah
Esraa Abdel Fattah was one of 20 who marched to  the Cairo center on January 25th leading the Egyptian uprising that grew to become 10,000 Egyptian voices. The march eventually drove leader Hosni Mubarek from power. The revolt began on Facebook, where Fattah documented her experiences, as well as on Twitter, hence her name “Facebook Girl”. The effort was heroic and courageous and among the first revolts that began a brush fire of revolts across the Middle East and perhaps even the current “Occupy Wall Street” endeavors here in the US. Fattah proves a revolt need not only be tied to physical strength of men but a will of a woman.

3.  Reality Star and Business Woman Kim Kardashian
Anyone who can draw $18M + to get married has got to be a bit more than interesting, no? The second of the Kardashion trio, Kim Kardashian, planned a hell of a year.
Married and now divorcing Nets player Kris Humphries, 3 different television events -Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, and Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event, endorsements, appearances, another boutique launch, Kim Kardashion consistently graces the cover of the weeklies and has kept the masses engaged.

2.  Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel is the first female Chancellor of Germany (2005 elected) with the power and wit to match her accollades. The first chancellor with a science background (Physics), Chancellor Merkel has topped Forbes Magazine’s list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” since 2006 except for 2010 (she was number 4).
Chancellor Merkel has been instrumental in steering euro-zone countries from the brink of a financial disaster (which could bring down the global financial system) by leading the charge for rapid implementation of measures to tackle the euro zone debt crisis.
Her effectiveness has made her the de facto leader of the European Union.

Among the Chancellor’s many awards this year are the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama and the Jawaharlal Nehru Award from President Pratibha Patil of India.

1. Singer and Actress Jennifer Lopez
Jenny from the block is now Jenny of the world. With a worldwide draw, Jennifer Lopez, made a strong comeback in 2011. She has a long list of activity in addition to her Love? album. With her contracts with American Idol and Ford; voted The Most Beautiful Woman in the World by People Magazine; and a clothing line for Kohl’s – everyone wants a piece of Jenny (get your minds out the gutter, although that may be true as well) since she worked her magic on our TV screens sometimes 3 nights a week on American Idol early this year. Although a divorce is in progress from husband Marc Anthony, J Lo is on fire.