St. Louis Women Who Kick Some Serious Ass

Karlie Kloss is not a model. Well, she is, but she’s also put her hard-earned profits to use, serving St. Louis girls hoping to learn how to code. She runs a whole camp, for God’s sake. A woman in STEM — and that makes her not just a model, but a role model.

The KSDK anchor turned a viewer’s nasty voicemail accusing her of being “very Asian” (as if that’s a bad thing!) into a movement, founding the Very Asian Foundation to shine a light on the Asian experience and raise money to support organizations working to shore up Asian American communities.

The hilarious St. Louis-based comedian made it safe — and funny — to talk frankly about sex from a woman’s point of view. What could be more subversive?

The self-proclaimed “poltivist” first rose to badassery when she took to the streets of Ferguson to protest Michael Brown’s killing. First elected in 2018, Bush used her first term as a congresswoman to speak out against ending the eviction moratorium, rallied for abortion rights and many, many other matters.

Considered perhaps the greatest female athlete of all time, Joyner-Kersee won three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals across four different Olympic games. Today she devotes her time to helping her native East St. Louis via the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation.

The two sisters are establishing their very own empire with their hit shop Golden Gems (multiple locations including 3108 Locust Street, goldengems.com). With iconic shirts proclaiming the wearer “baddies” or telling people off, Golden Gems’ success was built with women on the front lines.

Neville’s show tasteMAKERS aired on PBS stations across the U.S. and earned a coveted Daytime Emmy nod. Now the face of Explore St. Louis, she previously co-founded Sauce Magazine and, after a split with her business partner, also founded Feast.

Jones made history in 2020 when she was elected mayor. The first Black woman to hold the position, Jones succeeded Lyda Krewson, the first female mayor of St. Louis.

Owner of Cathy’s Kitchen, Jenkins fed Ferguson through the pandemic and George Floyd protests — and refused to let vandalism stop her.

Soccer star Sauerbrunn may play for Portland, but she’s got a St. Louis heart. And, she’s the captain of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team. You know what’s more badass than the U.S. women’s soccer team? Nothing. They continuously fought against the gender pay gap (and won last year) and called out inequities between women’s and men’s sports. Hell yeah.

A rising badass in St. Louis, Casey (left) is getting to build an empire of sorts alongside her wife, Donnah Thomas (right). Their Facebook group, Date Ideas and Things To Do, has nearly 300,000 followers.

Propelled into activism after her husband was murdered in front of their home, Krewson was a longtime alderwoman before being elected the first female mayor of St. Louis. She held her position from 2017 to 2021.

Barry goes beyond bartending — she’s a mixology legend. And with Platypus and the soon-to-open New Society, she’s building a hospitality empire, too.

Alongside Karen Nickel (right), Chapman fearlessly leads the effort to cleanup Westlake Landfill. She takes government agencies to task and fights for a better future for our kids.

Green was the first Black woman elected to the position of St. Louis comptroller and, as an outspoken critic of airport privatization, has used her perch to fight for transparency and good government. As part of the powerful three-member Board of Estimate and Apportionment, she works with the mayor and the president of the Board of Aldermen to establish funds for the city.

With St. Louis City SC, she brought us soccer once more. We can’t thank her enough.