Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame crowned Australia’s ‘Women of the Year’ in Marie Claire magazine

Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame have been crowned Australia’s “Women of the Year” on the front cover of this month’s Marie Claire magazine.

Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame have been crowned Australia’s “Women of the Year” on the front cover of this month’s Marie Claire magazine.

The two women, who have developed a tight friendship after meeting over their shared fight for awareness over sexual violence towards women and children, have spoken out for the magazine’s December edition.

“Brittany is fiercely intelligent, and her ability to articulate the situation and maintain diplomacy in the face of total ugliness and abhorrent behaviour is incredible,’’ Ms Tame said.

“Doing the Marie Claire shoot together in Brisbane was so much fun and has cemented our friendship.”

We're honoured to unveil the cover of our annual Women of the Year issue, helmed by the inimitable @TamePunk and @BrittHiggins_ . pic.twitter.com/90D7Oik29i

— Marieclaireau (@marieclaireau) November 14, 2021

In February, Ms Higgins revealed in an exclusive interview with news.com.au an allegation that she was raped in 2019 by a colleague at Parliament House. A man has been charged in relation to the matter and has pleaded not guilty.

Ms Higgins said she had formed a close relationship with Ms Tame, who understood perhaps as no one else in the country could, what she was experiencing amid intense media interest in her ordeal.

“There is no-one I trust more to celebrate my wins with or just ugly cry to. She’s a wonder,’’ Ms Higgins said.

“Not only does she speak with such a depth of knowledge about child sexual abuse and gendered violence but she does it in a way that is incredibly accessible to a wide range of people.

Grace tame, brittany higgins

The two women appear in a 10-page “Women of the Year” portfolio that also celebrates consent campaigner Chanel Contos.

Ms Tame first graced the cover of Marie Claire in May, in an interview to mark her new role as Australian of the Year.

In the interview, the activist said she would keep fighting until child sexual abuse was eradicated and the laws around consent have a standard national definition.

“I won’t stop until I see the end of child sexual assault,’ she said.

“It’s as simple as that.”

@BrittHiggins_ is such a trooper, I hadn’t brushed my teeth https://t.co/XwReNVa8tx

— Grace Tame (@TamePunk) November 14, 2021

She also discussed how the media can “retraumatise” victims.

“I get frustrated when people only want to focus on the negative details – tell me about your rape; take us back to your darkest moment,” she said.

“When there’s all this rage and widespread shock, we can get stuck in a cycle of darkness – and that’s not productive.”

“It’s not always easy to talk about this stuff. But I’m incredibly grateful for the platform. I’m just here as a representative of a community that’s been marginalised and stigmatised for far too long.”