It’s a little hard to believe that less than 100 years ago women didn’t have the right to vote, most women couldn’t read and the ‘working woman’ was an unheard of scandal. So how did Margaret Thatcher make it to number 10 Downing Street? And how did Coco Chanel manage to become a billionaire without a degree? There are a few things University doesn’t and cannot teach us, yet with these inspirational, unsung heroines as role models it’s certain you will learn more in the next ten minutes than you could ever learn in the hours you spend in the library!
1) Princess Diana – ‘Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.’
It was Princess Diana’s love for the people that earned her the nicknames the ‘Queen of hearts’ and ‘the people’s princess.’ Despite being a member of the most powerful family in Britain, Princess Diana always found time for those most vulnerable and in need of her help. She was one of the first high profile individuals to be seen pictured touching those suffering with AIDS – a picture that would change the way AIDS sufferers were viewed in society and promote awareness worldwide. She worked tirelessly for many charities including those helping the elderly, the homeless and the sick, as well as for causes such as the abolishment of landmines. Although a Princess, she was primarily a friend to those most in need.
2) Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel – ‘A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.’
There is a reason Chanel is still one of the most highly regarded fashion houses around – because Coco laid the foundations! Although Chanel is now a multimillion pound label, the beginnings of this successful business are very humble. At the age of 12, following the death of her mother, Gabrielle was sent to a convent for orphans and it was there that she learned how to make clothes. Using the skills she had acquired, she worked as a seamstress and eventually opened a hat shop and a fashion boutique which would lead to the founding of her world renowned clothing empire. Coming from a poor, working class background there is one lesson in particular Chanel has taught every girl; it’s not how much your clothes are worth – it’s how you wear them.
3) Audrey Hepburn – ‘Nothing is impossible- the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!’
The quote itself has Audrey written all over it! Audrey was well known for her numerous blockbusters and gorgeous appearance but it was her positive attitude towards life that continues to make her the role model that young women still look up to today. Throughout her life Audrey faced many emotional dilemmas such as the separation of her parents and the breakdown of two marriages, but in true Audrey style she got on with life. As she once famously said, ‘don’t fuss dear, get on with it!’ And that’s just what she did! In the later years of her life Audrey worked tirelessly as an ambassador for UNICEF, helping dying and sick children in Africa and Asia. She was so determined to turn the world into a more positive place that she suggested buying camels and solar boxes as a means for villages in the desert to gain access to medicine. If you ever feel like giving up just remember Audrey’s lesson – I’M POSSIBLE!
4) Emmeline Pankhurst – ‘We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.’
Margaret Thatcher is just one of millions of British women who owe their entire career to the Suffragettes and in particular women such as Emmeline, who fought for women to obtain the right to vote and obtain equal status in politics, revolutionising the way women were seen in society. Her fight for equal rights for men and women not only allowed women to vote but it also gave them a voice to speak their minds – which we haven’t stopped doing since! Emmeline’s actions were the catalyst for change that would see future generations of women be able to join the armed forces, become police officers and even become Prime Minister! Emmeline’s lesson? You were given a voice so make it heard!
5) J.K.Rowling – ‘Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve’
When Joanne Rowling wrote the first sentence of the Harry Potter series, little did she know it was the beginning of a book that would change her life forever. At the time she was a jobless and recently divorced single mother who had, in her own words, ‘hit rock bottom and so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.’ Joanne’s first book Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone was rejected by twelve publishing houses before she found a publishing house that finally agreed to publish it. From the success of her first book Joanne went on to write a further six Harry Potter books that have been translated into 65 languages and she now has a net worth of $1 billion (richer than the Queen), a success she could never have imagined. TheHarry Potter books are thought to have revived reading amongst children, many of whom were thought to have abandoned reading in favour of video games and television. A self made billionaire, there is a lot every girl can learn from Joanne Rowling – if you’ve got the determination and the belief in yourself anything is possible – and a pinch of magic can go a long way!
6) Sophie Scholl – ‘Stand up for what you believe in even if you are standing alone’
Sophie Scholl was just 21 years old when she was executed in Nazi Germany, yet this extraordinarily brave young woman showed more courage in her short life than most people could ever show in 70 years. Sophie Scholl was a member of the White Rose non-violent resistance group, which passively resisted the atrocities against humanity that were being carried out in Nazi Germany. She was arrested and sentenced to death after distributing anti-Nazi political resistance leaflets at the University of Münich. She in now recognised as a heroine who sacrificed everything for her beliefs in speaking up for what was right. After her death the leaflet which she had been distributing was smuggled out of Germany and millions of copies were dropped over Nazi-occupied Germany by the Allied Forces. The fact that Sophie’s legacy and spiritual courage is still alive today teaches us one thing; an honest voice is louder than a crowd.
7) Anita Roddick – ‘Consumers have not been told effectively enough that they have huge power and that purchasing and shopping involve a moral choice.’
Anita was the founder of The Body Shop, one of the first cosmetic companies that pursued the idea of beauty products that weren’t tested on animals, weren’t harmful to the environment and promoted fair trade with third world countries. The Body Shop made women aware of the animal suffering produced by the cosmetic industry and the exploitation of poor producers in third world countries, urging women to change the way we shop for the better. Today The Body Shop has a range of over 300 hundred products providing a stable income for producers in 23 developing countries. In 2003, Anita was appointed a Dame by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of her ethical business ideas. Shopping being one of our guilty pleasures, Anita has taught us how to turn our purchasing power into a form of equality and compassion by buying products that support fair trade and are against animal testing.
8) Minnie Vautrin – ‘The Goddess of Mercy’
Minnie Vautrin is a less well known heroine of modern times, perhaps because her courageous acts took place in the late 1930’s in China, far away from the modern accessible world we live in today. Minnie was an American missionary who taught in China. During the Japanese occupation, Minnie opened the doors of the girls’ college she had founded in Nanjing to give refuge to up to 10,000 Chinese women whose lives were in danger from the Japanese forces. She harboured as many as she could, often putting her own life in danger to save another’s. She was just one of several Westerner’s who openly defied military forces to protect the lives of civilians. She is known as the ‘Goddess of Mercy’ due to her efforts to save lives.