Jennifer Lopez Named UN Foundation First Global Advocate for Girls and Women

Hairstyle, Skin, Sleeve, Human body, Shoulder, Joint, White, Style, Waist, Fashion model, — (Image credit: Archives)

Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got—Jennifer Lopez, longtime actress, singer, and dancer (and our favorite wearer of tight pants), has been named the United Nations Foundation's first Global Advocate for Girls and Women, a success far greater than any of her Golden Globe nominations or MTV Music Award wins.

While she's by no means a newbie to the world of philanthropy (in 2010, J.Lo and her sister Lynda started the Lopez Family Foundation, a non-profit that works to improve the health and well-being of both women and children), after years of partnering with the UN Foundation, Lopez has finally been given an official title. In her new role, she is expected to bring awareness to gender inequality and empower girls and women around the world. Up first? Bringing awareness to one of the organizations' newest joint initiatives with the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA), a program that uses cell phones as a means of delivering important health information to new and expecting moms.

As the mother of 7-year-old twins Max and Emme, Lopez began to realize the challenges women and children face throughout the world, noting, "While some progress has been made, there is still a lot more work that needs to be done for gender equality and universal access to medical care."