38 Summer 2016 finalmatters CoverGirls CoverGirls Above; Seated from left to right are Lola Freeman, 14; Alexandra Krim, 14; Isabella Yagid, 14; Chloe Kaplan 13, Mary Arevalo, 15; and Juliet Arana, 15. Right: Ready to swim, these girls were dressed in what were fashionable 1916 bathing suits. I In 1916, six New Jersey girls were enjoying summer camp together. They were fascinated with  suffragettes and shorter skirts. Hem- lines were rising, and the vote for women was four years away. Their families were just get- ting telephones installed. At the family dinner table these girls heard the horrors of a rag- ing war in Europe and fretted that their brothers, cousins or even fathers would have to be part of it. Woodrow Wilson was campaigning for his second term and they felt that passing the right for women to vote was paramount. They adored Norman Rockwell’s first cover that ap- peared on The Saturday Evening Post. Their favorite song was “Pretty Baby” by Billy Murray.   Our modern cover girls, like their sisters one hundred years ago, were born at the turn of a new century. These 2016 girls enjoy Anime, Japa- nese hand-drawn computer animation, and Co- splay (a contraction of the words costume and Roleplay) in which players wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent specific char- acters. They like music and drawing and writing and acting. They enjoy all kinds of sports and hobbies and take their studies seriously.  In 1916, women could not vote or di- vorce, have their own bank accounts, join the Army, stand for election or work in most companies after they married. Perhaps the great- est victory over the past 100 years is the level of education now widely available to American girls and women. Our 2016 cov- er girls are passionate about making sure   the  em- powerment of women keeps marching forward.  I am indebted to photographer Joy Yagid for her vision of recreating this treasured photo. I have al- ways felt this image spoke volumes to the power of women, young or old, and friendship. The girl third from the right  was my grandmother, Dorothy.