International Women's Day takes place every year on March 8. It started in 1909 in Eastern European countries as a Socialist political event. It was a way to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women while acknowledging that progress has slowed around the world.
This year's theme was #PledgeforParity. In order to achieve gender parity, you can take the pledge! I've taken the pledge to help women and girls achieve their ambitions. To celebrate, I'm naming 8 inspirational women that have inspired me to achieve my ambitions.
Nicki Minaj
While I have no plans on becoming a singer or a performer, Nicki's approach to her craft reminds me to persevere and succeed, even in an industry dominated by men. She has achieved acclaim in her chosen profession: several AMAs, MTV Music Video Awards, and BET Awards; has set records for women in music; AND is a successful businesswoman. Nicki has creative control over her music and her image.
Even though her image can be perceived to be highly sexual, the important thing is that she chose that image for herself. Body image is a touchy subject for many women-identified bodies so for someone to be so blatantly exposed and secure inspires me to let go of my insecurities. Her space-themed outfits and wigs show me a person who is not afraid to have fun and dress up. Though her fashion has calmed down in recent times, pink hair Nicki is my inspiration to one day dye my hair a fun color just because, judgemental people be damned.
Though she projects confidence, she also has a vulnerable side that she expresses through her alter egos. It's important to me that she isn't perfect. She came from a tough background and instead of letting that crush her, she channels it through her music and being productive. I also love that she isn't super prim and proper. Definitely one of my favorite artists of all time.
Lady Gaga
Again, Lady Gaga is another person who never tries to fit in. In fact, she celebrates her weirdness and flaunts it with confidence. Her music is catchy and she never fails to surprise and shock. She is unapologetically herself, even if it borders on macabre. Lady Gaga is another person who dominates her chosen line of work and that's inspiring.
Lady Gaga first captivated me in a 2009 performance of Speechless on the Ellen Show. Ever since then, I've been a Monster, haha. I love performers who can invoke a feeling in me and Lady Gaga always does with every performance. Her moving performance at this year's Oscars gave me the feels, y'all. She combines her art with a cause important to my heart: sexual assault on college campuses. While I've fortunately never had to undergo such an ordeal, I know of several girls who have. And that's just not right. I could go on about this but let's keep the focus on inspirational women, eh?
She also gives back to the community. With her philanthropic work in LGBT rights and HIV/AIDs prevention, she utilizes her fame and fortune to benefit more than just herself. And that's what I'd like to do in the future.
Senator Elizabeth Warren
For readers outside of the U.S., Senator Elizabeth Warren is a Democratic senator who leans very progressive. She has spoken in favor of abortion rights, consumer protection, increasing the minimum wage and student loans. I've never been into politics but having such a champion who is unafraid to speak against large commercial interests gives me hope for our government. Even though she's in Massachusetts, I'm very glad that we have someone to speak on behalf of the people's interests instead of pandering to corporations. She may not have always been so progressive, but the important things is she is choosing to speak up for the people now and is following through with it.
JK Rowling
Being the Potterhead that I am, I couldn't let her go without a mention. Not only is she a phenomenal author that has greatly influenced my childhood, she continues to inspire me well into my adulthood. Rowling is witty (which I've always wished to be) and outspoken against bullying. Voldemort always reminded me of a fascist dictator and seeing good trump evil helped me survive middle school bullying. While I didn't have a cool scar or magic, I always tried to be the bigger person and not let my tormentors get the best of me. And I came out a better person because of it: I knew that no one could intimidate me to compromise my morals, even if I could be a part of the popular group. I would highly recommend following her Twitter because she's always dispensing great life lessons (and witty comebacks to trolls, haha).
Hermione Granger
And of course, I just had to mention Hermione as one of my inspirations. I've always been known to be the nerdy, goody-goody two shoes one in school. While it wasn't much of a problem in elementary school, once I got to middle school, the other kids really didn't like it. They would steal my homework or copy off of me, promising friendship. Once I stood up for myself, they really didn't like it and would do everything they could to annoy me. I make it sound more dramatic than it really was but I've been told that I can get quite melodramatic, hehe.
But anyhoo, I was only 5 when the first HP book was published but I remember watching the film adaptation when I was 8. The troll scene scared me and the first encounter with You-Know-Who terrified the beejeesus out of me. But fast-forwarding to age 11 and reading the first book got me hooked on the entire series. I've always been a Hermione fan because she was smart and equal to the boys. In fact, she even got them out of several tough jams in the later series and that was kick-ass. I've always wanted to find my Ron and Harry but I'll just settle for re-reading the books and re-watching the movies...
Jo March
So, Jo isn't a real person BUT she is based on one. I don't remember how I got ahold of the book, Little Women, but I remember reading it on a hot summer day when I was 10. The large volume daunted me at first but the story about 4 sisters captivated me. It was dark when I finished but I identified strongly with Jo March. She's the second oldest sister and her tomboy-ish nature spoke to me. Growing up, I didn't like to sit still. I have two brothers so I'd be playing tag or catch with them, even though my mom would scold me to be more lady-like. I am soft-spoken but her outspoken nature encouraged me to speak my mind more often. While I'm not as active as I used to be, I'm not afraid to voice my opinion and I credit that to Jo March and Louisa May Alcott.
Katniss Everdeen
So hear me out on this one. Even though the books and films are everywhere these days, Katniss has been one of my favorite book characters of all time. I remember picking it up in my cousin's room as I waited for her to get ready. Eventually, she was done but I was hooked on the book. Katniss is just a bad-ass in every way. She could shoot a bow and she used her skills to provide for her family. Katniss also sacrificed herself for her sister and as an older sister, I could totally see myself doing that for my brothers too. The fact that she survived against all odds using her bow and wits is commendable. The fact that she was an imperfect heroine is realistic. No one gets through that kind of an experience unscathed and Suzanne Collins depicted PTSD in a believable way. I liked that she wasn't wishy-washy or chasing after boys. I've read countless of romance novels and no offense meant to romance writers and readers but it gets tiring to see female protagonists needing to be rescued. Katniss did learn to lean on others but she was capable of taking care of herself. The ending was a bit of a cop-out but I am a bit of a romantic in the end. I'm just glad the focus of the book wasn't on Katniss and Peeta's romance but about bringing down a corrupt government.
My Mom
I couldn't end this post without mentioning my mom. She is one of the greatest inspirations of my life. Every difficult trial in my life had her right there with me. Even if I've disappointed her, she still gives me all of her love. She has endless patience and never gets angry. Though we disagree on some fundamental things, like forgiveness and who deserves it, her actions inspire me to strive to be a better version of myself. She is the definition of selflessness and perseverance. Seriously, go open up a dictionary and you'd find her picture right there. Okay, maybe that isn't quite true but it is in my dictionary, hehe. While I wouldn't want to grow up to be like her exactly, if I could be half the woman and mom she is, the people around me would be less annoyed, that's for sure.
So I'm ending this post here before I get too sappy. I meant for this post (and the next 3) to be posted earlier but I've just started a new job that requires me to be present at 4AM for meetings. I've been trying to change my sleeping schedule to accommodate but it's been a struggle. If y'all have any tips for early meeting mornings and how to balance life around it, I'm all ears. I've never been happier about Friday and the weekend, gah.
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