By now you all know I’ve got a lot of issues with what our world looks like these days. Near the top of my list is popular media’s degrading representation of women and girls, who are objectified and usually valued only for their appearance and sexiness (as defined by men). So all hail the REAL hot 100 – a list compiled by a bevy of kick-ass young feminists to counter Maxim Magazine’s annual “Hot 100” list and to redefine what makes women hot. The REAL hot 100 list is inspiring, and a great retort to anyone who claims that young women are apathetic, apolitical, and uninterested in women’s issues.

I’d like to add my own nomination: GLBT activist Shulamit Izen. As a high school student, Shulamit pushed her Jewish high school to acknowledge the needs of GLBT students and to create a Gay/Straight Alliance – the first for a Jewish school. Shula was my student, and I was amazed not only at her own bravery but at how she challenged everyone around her to take ownership over their community and to take a stand for what they believed in. She continues her activism as a student at Brown, and remains humble, despite being featured in a new documentary film called Hineini: Coming Out in a Jewish High School.

I think we’re all lucky to know hot women in our own lives, and they should all have a chance to be recognized and celebrated. Who would you add to the REAL hot 100 list?