Everyone has faced some kind of struggle in his or her life, but what’s important is how you overcome it! Inspiring people come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. For our #LoveYourself campaign, we’re highlighting girls under the age of 18 who, even at a young age, inspire us with their bravery, intelligence, and confidence.
1. Rowan Blanchard
The 14-year-old actress and star of Disney’s Girl Meets World tackles feminist and LGBTQ+ issues with the maturity and eloquence of a grown woman. On her Twitter and Tumblr accounts Rowan has talked about issues like the wage gap, violence against trans women, mental health, Bernie versus Hillary, and the concept of “white feminism”. Last year she gave a speech at the U.S. National Committee for UN Women’s 2015 Annual Conference on gender equality. Rowan recently revealed that she identifies as queer and when a fan tweeted Rowan about his desire to see her character on Girls Meets World come out as bisexual, Rowan responded that having representation on the show is very important to her.
Check out the Sorry Not Sorry article that Rowan wrote for Rookie Mag.
2. Jaide Bucher
When people look at Jaide Bucher, a high schooler who was born with one hand, they might not expect for her to be as athletic and talented as she is. Jaide is a softball player who pitches for her team and was featured in Gatorade’s Win from Within video series. Inspired at a young age by Jim Abbott, a former Major League Baseball pitcher who was born without his right hand, Jaide proves that you aren’t limited by people’s expectations.
“I like to prove people wrong.” – Jaide Bucher
3. Amandla Stenberg
Many of us were introduced to Amandla Stenberg in 2012 when she starred as the adorable but doomed Rue in The Hunger Games. Four years later and Amandla has solidified herself as not only a capable actress but also a powerful voice for social justice issues. The outspoken 17-year-old made a video for a school assignment called “Don’t Cash Crop My Cornrows” which talked about cultural appropriation in pop culture. Last year, she dived into the world of publishing and helped create more racial representation in media by co-writing an ongoing comic book series called Niobe: She is Life, which features a main character who is black. Amandla also recently worked with Teen Vogue to create a series of videos highlighting the beautiful things about being black.
“I think the Internet forces you to be okay with your mistakes, and the things you’ve done in the past, especially when you’re in the media. Personally, that helps me to stop self-editing or being self-conscious, and instead realize that my previous mistakes have allowed me to grow.” – Amandla Stenberg
4. Mo’ne Davis
Mo’ne Davis, a South Philly native, is an American Little League baseball player. She is the first girl to pitch a winning game in the Little League World Series, she won an ESPY award for Best Breakthrough Athlete, and she released a memoir. Although she has received many accolades already, the athlete’s aspirations don’t stop here. Mo’ne is a skilled basketball and soccer player and has plans to play for the WNBA in the future. The staff at HC Drexel isn’t the only people who consider Mo’ne to be inspirational – Disney Channel has plans to make a biopic about the 14-year-old athlete!
“When I joined an all-boys baseball team, my mom wasn’t too happy. I proved to her (and to me) that I could do anything I set my mind to.” – Mo’ne Davis
5. Ima & Asha Christian
Ima, Asha, and their brother, Caleb Christian, are three tech-savvy siblings from Georgia who show that with hard work and drive, it’s possible to make a difference. Driven by their desire to reduce instances of police brutality, they created an app called Five-O that allows users to document their positive and negative experiences with law enforcement officers and departments. Through the app’s message boards, the teens hope to be able to start a dialogue within communities to help solve this issue. Ima, Asha, and Caleb have their own app development company called Pinetart, Inc. and have been featured in publications such as Business Insider, the Huffington Post, and Buzzfeed.
6. Jazz Jennings
At the age of five, Jazz Jennings, who was born male, began to publicly present herself as female with the support of her family. Now 15, Jazz is an advocate for the transgender community. She co-wrote a book called “I Am Jazz” with the hope that it would teach kids the importance of loving yourself and was the face of Clean & Clear’s “See the Real Me” campaign. She uses her reality TV show on TLC and her YouTube channel as a vehicle for teaching others that transgender people are just like everybody else. Jazz is completely unapologetic about who she is.
“I always say that I want to leave this world in a better state than when I arrived and the only way that’s going to happen is if I continue moving forward until I see the change that I want to see. So I’m going to work toward that civilization where we all are accepted and just loved for who we are.” – Jazz Jennings
These athletes, actresses, activists, and scientists demonstrate that anything is possible no matter your background or age. We can’t wait to see what these role models accomplish next!