We all have that infamous person we aspire to be like. Rather, they are rulers, politicians, celebrities, models, authors, or activists. That person usually inspires you to be the person you are today. In honor of Women’s History Month, here are 10 influential women that young people should look up to. This is a list of women who changed the world. Whether they are with us today or not, these women should be honored for their reputable philosophies and ability to change history, in spite of their hardships. Here are the struggles and the history of what these great women overcame to change the world.
Billie Holiday:
Many of us know Holiday for her influence on pop and jazz singing. Many may not know the struggles she overcame through her early life before she became a musician. Holiday was raised primarily by her mother and lived in extreme poverty. Holiday dropped out of school in fifth grade, and at 12, was arrested for prostitution. After Holiday was released at 14, she began singing in nightclubs. It was there she was discovered, and then recorded her first album at 18.
Edith Piaf:
Was a French singer who became widely known as the country’s most popular singer.
At an early age, Edith’s parents abandoned her, and she lived for a short time with her maternal grandmother. Before she enlisted with the French Army in 1916 to fight in World War I, her father took her to his mother, who ran a brothel in Normandy. There, prostitutes helped look after Piaf. From the age of three to seven, Piaf was allegedly blind as a result of keratitis. Once she gained her sight back, she joined her father in his acrobatic street performances all over France, where she first sang in public.
Eleanor Roosevelt:
Eleanor had an unpleasant childhood, suffering the deaths of both parents and one of her brothers at a young age. After her husband suffered a polio attack in 1921, Eleanor stepped forward to help Franklin with his political career. When her husband became president in 1933, Eleanor dramatically changed the role of the first lady. Not one to handle solely domestic matters, she showed the world that the first lady was an important part of American politics. She gave press conferences and spoke out for human rights, children’s causes and women’s issues, working on behalf of the League of Women Voters. She also focused on helping the country’s poor, stood against racial discrimination and, during World War II, traveled abroad to visit U.S. troops.
Gloria Steinem:
Steinem actively campaigned for the Equal Rights Amendment, in addition to other laws and social reforms that promoted equality between women and men. Steinem helped to strike down many long-standing sex discriminatory laws, such as those that gave men superior rights in a marriage and denied women equal economic opportunities.
Waris Dirie:
Waris Dirie is a model, author, actress and human rights activist. Dirie was born into a nomadic family in 1965 in Galkayo, Somalia. At the age of 13, she fled to Mogadishu in order to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Dirie eventually moved to London, England where she was discovered and shortly after started her modeling career.
Valentina Tereshkova:
Tereshkova was the first woman to have flown in space, having been selected from more than four hundred applicants and five finalists to pilot Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963. During her three-day mission, she performed various tests on herself to collect data on the female body’s reaction to spaceflight.
J.K. Rowling
She went from a single mother living on benefits to a multi-millionaire author in the space of a few years. If you ever needed proof that you should follow your dreams, J. K. Rowling is just that. After multiple rejections from publishers, she finally secured a print run of 1,000 copies for her first book, which you just might have heard of, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Fast forward a few years and the Harry Potter series has sold over 400,000 copies, spawned a whole film franchise, and almost single-handedly made reading cool again for kids.
Coco Chanel
Orphaned from an early age, Coco Chanel left a lasting mark on women’s fashion and design. Before World War I, women’s clothing had been quite restrictive. Chanel helped create women’s clothing that was more simple and practical. She also introduced trousers and suits for women, something which had not been done before.
Oprah Winfrey
Born in Mississippi to young, unwed parents, Oprah Winfrey was raised by her grandmother until she was 6 years old. Winfrey eventually moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother and half-sister in a boarding house. Winfrey’s mother, who worked as a maid, relied on welfare at times to support the family. Winfrey went on to become a tireless businesswoman, transforming herself from news anchor to talk show host to head of her own multi platform media empire. According to Forbes, Winfrey is now worth over $2.7 billion.
Maryam Durani:
The owner and operator of a radio station based in Afghanistan that focuses on women’s issues, and a member of the Kandahar provincial council, Durani stands up for the region’s women with remarkable bravery. She is, inevitably, a target for the Taliban, who believe in a highly restricted role for women in Afghan society, and has survived several assassination attempts. During a U.S. State Department ceremony in March 2012, Durani stood between Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton as Clinton presented her with one of the department’s annual International Women of Courage awards.