Fans celebrate YouTube educator Ms Rachel and actor Rachel Zegler, both honored by the magazine for speaking up for Gaza.
Reposted from Middle East Eye, October 28, 2025
When Glamour magazine revealed its 2025 “Women of the Year” list, it felt less like a celebrity roll-call and more like a statement: that courage and conscience still matter in popular culture.
At a time when many public figures stay silent about Israel’s genocide in Gaza, YouTube personality Ms Rachel and actor Rachel Zegler are being celebrated for doing the opposite, using their platforms to speak courageously, show compassion, and stand with Palestine.
Rachel Accurso, commonly known as Ms Rachel, a 42-year-old educator beloved by millions of toddlers and parents, found herself trending not only for her signature pink shirt and sing-along lessons but for her outspoken support for Palestinians in Gaza.
Across social media, fans flooded timelines with praise after her Glamour honor. “Glamour having Ms Rachel, woman of the year, really warmed my heart,” one post read. Another said, “Ms Rachel has been using her massive platform to change people’s perspective on what’s happening in Gaza. She deserves this!”
A relentless voice against Israel’s genocide and advocate for Palestinian children. It’s well deserved. pic.twitter.com/cYg3Gdy5D2
— Assal Rad (@AssalRad) October 27, 2025
Ms Rachel has often spoken about the danger of not speaking out for Palestinian children. “I also think about what kind of pain I would feel if I knew that I didn’t say anything and could have helped,” she said during a podcast.
The honor, shared with Snow White and Hunger Games star Zegler, has been read by supporters as a cultural turning point even in the entertainment industry’s most cautious corners.
Zegler has faced waves of criticism for her pro-Palestinian posts, but she has never backed down. In March, reports surfaced that Disney executives had attempted to silence Zegler over an August 2024 X post where she wrote, “and always remember, free Palestine“.
Zegler’s refusal to retract her statement of solidarity reportedly infuriated the film’s producers, who mounted a public campaign against her. Jonah Platt, son of Snow White producer Marc Platt, slammed Zegler in a since-deleted Instagram comment, partially blaming her social media activity for the movie’s disappointing box-office debut.
Many online thought it important that both Accurso and Zegler were honored by Glamour.
Both anti-genocide advocates, children’s educator Ms. Rachel Accurso and actress Rachel Zegler, are featured in Glamour’s “Women of the Year” issue, celebrating voices using their platforms to champion compassion, justice, and global awareness. pic.twitter.com/ZEk09ERyXN
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 27, 2025
Along with her Glamour honor, Ms Rachel’s name has been trending again this week after she posted a tearful video revealing she’d tried to host a party for Rahaf, a double-amputee Palestinian child who survived Israeli air strikes, and was rejected by three venues who told her “it’s complicated”.
The clip, filmed from her car, quickly went viral, with supporters writing, “Imagine claiming that you feel unsafe because of a 3-year-old child. I never saw this level of dehumanization anywhere.”
The duo’s celebration by Glamour comes at a time when artists, educators, and influencers who voice solidarity with Gaza have found themselves censored, unfollowed, or blacklisted. That both women are now being honored, despite or perhaps because of their moral clarity, has struck a chord with audiences disillusioned by celebrity fence-sitting.
For Ms Rachel, who began making educational videos to help her own son with speech issues, the recognition marks an evolution: from nursery-song teacher to symbol of empathy in a brutal news cycle.
For pro-Palestine people online, this week’s trending story offered something rare: a win that felt both morally sound and joyful.
The moment also fits into a wider wave of cultural solidarity that has grown despite repression and boycotts. From student walkouts and film-festival protests to musicians wearing watermelon pins on world tours, a new generation of public figures is normalizing open support for Palestinian rights.
In that sense, social media sees Ms Rachel and Zegler’s joint recognition as part of a shifting tide – their voices, amplified by millions of parents, fans, and young activists, that show that compassion can still trend.
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