Portraits of the Year

In the avalanche of year-end “best of” slideshows, I was clicking through Lightbox’s “Portraits of the Year.

Certainly, Malala’s notoriety and insta-fame has brought laudatory attention to women’s rights in Near East Asia and thrown considerable light on the prospects for Pakastani and Afghan women and girls. Still, the ascension to mega-stardom also goes to highlight that… some girls can rise to international fame and brand status while, for others, you’re good for a couple articles and then it’s just about walking around a Syrian refugee camp with a bullet in your head.

(photo 1: Mark Seliger for TIME caption: Malala Yousafzai. From “The 100 Most Influential People in the World,” April 29, 2013 issue.photo 2:Gregory Beals.)