Celebrity World's Most Beautiful: See Who Else Made the 2017 List! Award winners and influencers, pioneers and pop stars — the unforgettable beauties of the year By People Staff Published on April 26, 2017 05:35PM EDT Close 01 of 24 ALICIA KEYS: THE NONCONFORMIST Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP "The way I define beauty is individuality and wisdom, which I think creates a certain inner confidence," said The Voice coach, 37. 02 of 24 REESE WITHERSPOON: THE SOUTHERN BELLE Evan Agostini/Invision/AP The actress and Draper James mogul looks to the women in her family for role models. "My grandmother taught me southern style, and my mother gave me my sense of humor," she says. "Both are strong southern women." So what kind of "old lady" does Witherspoon, 41, hope to be? "Spunky with lots of friends," she says. "And I'll have a weekly bingo party!" 03 of 24 MADISON FERRIS: THE BARRIER-BREAKER Caitlin McNaney At 25, she made history as the first wheelchair user to score a leading role on Broadway. The Glass Menagerie star, who has muscular dystrophy, lives by a mantra: "Do what you love and find people who love it too." 04 of 24 RUBY ROSE: THE REBEL Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic "I'm very confident and in tune with my sexuality. I feel very blessed for that, because in different places around the world, people can't be. I'm lucky I can explore," said the John Wick: Chapter 2 star, 31. 05 of 24 JANELLE MONÁE: THE MAVERICK Buckner/Variety/REX/Shutterstock "In high school people used to look at me like I was crazy," says the stylish singer, 31, who made her big-screen debut in the Oscar-winning Moonlight and the hit Hidden Figures. "We couldn't afford the latest fashions, so I had to get creative. But I'm thankful. It helped me create my image as an artist." 06 of 24 KRISTEN BELL: THE 'GOOD' GIRL Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP The Good Place star, 36, feels best "when my husband [Dax Shepard] is making me laugh. When I'm not looking in the mirror a ton. I find that it doesn't lead to anything good, because I just overanalyze everything," she said. 07 of 24 MANNY GUTIERREZ: THE TRAILBLAZER Manny MUA The 26-year-old beauty influencer (a.k.a. Manny MUA) is the first male to star in a Maybelline campaign. "I always thought makeup was a beautiful thing, the transformation of it," he says. "If someone felt insecure about something, they could put on concealer, and it would change their entire day." 08 of 24 ELIZABETH CHAMBERS HAMMER: THE FOODIE John Russo Eating clean is a requirement for the Texas BIRD Bakery owner (and wife of actor Armie Hammer). "We love food in our house. We don't have a no-dessert rule, but we do have a no-bad ingredient rule," says Chambers, 34. "Everything from scratch." 09 of 24 VIOLA DAVIS: THE VIRTUOSO JENNY GAGE + TOM BETTERTON A self-professed "geek" in high school, Davis, 51, says she was "overweight and didn't wear makeup." Now the Oscar winner for Fences admits Hollywood has allowed her a newfound sense of confidence. "It took time, but I just want to look like me. With every year that passes, it's just about getting to another layer of my authentic self." 10 of 24 ABIGAIL SPENCER: THE 'TIMELESS' BEAUTY James Minchin III/Sundance TV Getting to play a character who travels through different eras on NBC's Timeless has its perks. "The history is nice, but my soul connection is through the costumes and hair and makeup," says Spencer, 35, who also stars on SundanceTV's Rectify. "The colors, the styles, it's all just so dreamy." 11 of 24 RUTH NEGGA: THE BREAKOUT Presley Ann Slack/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images "I've been working. Keeping a low profile until — bam!" the Oscar-nominated star of Loving, 35, has said. "Nothing slow and steady about me." 12 of 24 ADELE: THE SUPERSTAR Xavier Collin/IPA/Splash News "In Hollywood you are either too fat or you're too skinny," said the record-breaking songstress, 28. "It's just absurd. You are never going to please everyone anyway, so what's the point?" 13 of 24 OPRAH WINFREY: THE POWERHOUSE Peggy Sirota "Twenty years ago I never considered myself beautiful, though Stedman told me all the time," says Winfrey, 63. "It was a word I reserved for others, mostly models and movie stars. I now look back at tapes of myself ... joyful, radiating with the fullness of life and think, 'Why could I only see my flaws back then?'" 14 of 24 EMMA STONE: THE MODERN MOVIE STAR JENNY GAGE + TOM BETTERTON Though she sang and danced her way to her first Oscar in La La Land, Stone, 28, has her feet firmly planted on the ground. "I think there is maybe that notion that if you have a dream and then it comes true, everything'll just be great now, and you'll just be coasting," said the actress, who stars as Billie Jean King in the upcoming film Battle of the Sexes. "But that's not how it goes. I have such gratitude for it." 15 of 24 MICHELLE WILLIAMS: THE SCENE STEALER Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images "My work is the place I allow myself to take risks that I don't necessarily in my day-to-day life," the 36-year-old Oscar-nominated star of Manchester by the Sea has said. 16 of 24 TAMRON HALL: THE ROLE MODEL Allison Michael Orenstein "Beauty to me means appreciating who you are," says Hall, 46, who left the Today show after learning Megyn Kelly had been given her time slot. "You have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'You know what, I'm proud of myself.'" 17 of 24 SELENA GOMEZ: THE POP STAR Frazer Harrison/Getty Images "I've been very vulnerable with my fans, and sometimes I say things I shouldn't," said Gomez, 24, an executive producer of Netflix's 13 Reasons Why. 18 of 24 CLAIRE FOY: THE QUEEN Phillip Faraone/Getty Images "I loved wearing Wellington boots, kilts and head scarves" to play Queen Elizabeth II, the Crown star, 33, said. "You can't help but look in the mirror and think, 'Oh, my God, I'm her.'" 19 of 24 CARRIE UNDERWOOD: THE COUNTRY SINGER JB Lacroix/WireImage "I feel beautiful when I've gotten a good night's sleep, taken a decent shower and shaved my legs," the 34-year-old jokes. 20 of 24 EMMA WATSON: THE LEADING LADY Kerry Hallihan Playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast marked a new chapter for the former child star, 27. "When I finished the film, it kind of felt like I had made that transition into being a woman onscreen," she said. 21 of 24 TARAJI P. HENSON: THE INDIVIDUALIST Williams+Hirakawa /Trunk Archive "I just want to look good for me," says the Empire star, 46. "You should never do anything to please other people." 22 of 24 MANDY MOORE Jim Wright A return to the limelight on the hit series This Is Us has the 33-year-old's natural beauty (and beautiful voice!) back in the limelight, too. 23 of 24 CHRISSY METZ Jim Wright Moore's This Is Us costar, 36, instantly became a role model for women of all sizes when the series debuted — and refuses to be "put in a box" when it comes to body type. 24 of 24 SUSAN KELECHI WATSON Fabio Chizzola In a moving letter to herself, the This Is Us star opened up about losing some of the most influential women in her life — and how it would only make her stronger.