The women whom I admire most are those who have been born again and again from the ashes like a phoenix. They are women with grace and strength that have conquered life’s hurdles and have retained their essence even when things have not worked out. Women who have broken paradigms and have demonstrated through their actions that the universe is full of possibilities if you do not let yourself be overcome by fear and self-doubt. We all have women we admire in our lives, but here are my top 5:
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Frida Kahlo
We all know Frida for her unique unibrow, her vibrant colors, her painful paintings and her stormy relationship with Diego Rivera. But Frida was much more than that. Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo was more than her broken heart and her broken spine. She broke paradigms and complicated the cultural demands of her gender. Through her art, Kahlo opened the way to a world of art where women no longer feared to express their dissatisfaction with social, economic or political conditions. She was a modern woman, but her art had an indigenous Mexican background. Through a dramatic vision of herself, she was able to show her vision of the world by being a powerful narrator of her beliefs through her art. Frida is proof that at the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think. I love her for her ability to challenge standards and the magic behind her paintings. She is one of the few artists whose paintings have the power to transmit exactly what she is feeling. Her paintings consume me, they attract me, they call me.
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Malala Yousaifzai
Malala is the living proof that despite the difficulties one must cling to our ideals and we must be willing to defend them in spite of the circumstances. In 2012, a Taliban gunman shot Malala as she traveled home from school. She was 15-years-old and had already been advocating for girls’ right to education in her home country of Pakistan for several years. But not even a bullet would silence her. Instead, she recovered and amplified her voice to make her passion an international movement. Malala is one of the most influential, important and powerful people alive today. She is the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and she has already written a memoir.
At a young age, Malala’s resilience has shown us that our fear should not be stronger than our courage and that “when the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful”
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Anne Frank
There are many reasons to love Anne Frank and honor her memory. Remembering her is remembering that even young girls can be heard and their words carry a lot of wisdom. In her diary notes, Anne was always hopeful for herself and other victims of the Holocaust. Despite the brutal, terrifying, and traumatic experience of being confined in an attic for years, she writes with strength and determination and offers inspiration. Anne used the power of words to stay resilient during a distressing time of her life. Anne possessed optimism in abundance even during this dreadful stage of her life. She teaches us that “there is always some beauty left — in nature, sunshine, freedom, in yourself; these can all help you.”
Definitely, something that we should all have in mind, specifically when we feel overwhelmed and stressed, there is always something else to live for, there is always a reason to be happy and thankful to be alive.
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Aretha Franklin
What you want…Baby, I got it…What you need…Do you know I got it? ???
Aretha’s voice could shake the heavens but it could also shake patriarchy. She debuted as one of the many female singers who challenged gender inequality during the beginnings of the Feminist Movement in the 1970s. Whenever I listen to her songs, I feel her voice and lyrics in my body and my soul. Aretha, indeed, was, and still is, considered the Queen of Soul.
Respect is probably Franklin’s best-known hit. Respect was first recorded by Otis Redding in 1965. The song is a request from a man to his lover: “All I’m asking is for a little respect when I come home.” Lyrically, it’s fairly traditional, it was nothing new to hear a man requesting respect when he comes home from work. But what was new was the independence and self-sufficiency that Aretha claimed in her new version of the song because she reinfused it with second-wave feminist insights and emotions.
Through her songs, Aretha was the spokesperson for many people and sang about how they felt. Her songs are empowering and honestly, I feel like a badass whenever I sing them at the top of my lungs.
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Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta is a hero that sticks to her culture, ethnic beliefs, along with personal desires. A hero who truly stays true to herself. She is a rebel, feminist, activist and a mother.
She has spent most of her life as a political activist, fighting for better working conditions for farmworkers and the rights of the oppressed. She is a firm believer in the power of political organizing to effect change.
Her role in the farmworkers movement has long been overshadowed by that of Cesar Chavez, her longtime collaborator, and co-founder of what became the United Farm Workers of America union. She has even been discredited of her popular phrase “Sí se puede” — Spanish for “Yes, we can” — which inspired former President Barack Obama for his political campaign.
During protests, Huerta faced violence and sexism including from within her own organization. However, she did not give up and demonstrated that she was equally capable and sufficient as her colleagues. She represented an unconventional figure by being a divorced mother of 11 children, but at the same time being a strong leader who tirelessly dedicated to a common goal.
Today she and her children continue her legacy through the Dolores Huerta Foundation because there are always new goals to fight for.