This year, I’m all about becoming the best version of myself. I want to love myself first. I want to be the reason I smile. I want to push myself in school so that I can have a successful career. I want to work hard so that I can make lots of money. I really want to become a MODERN WOMAN.
And like the saying goes, “Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back”. I am so lucky to have such a fantastic group of girlfriends who have my back and push me to live my best life. But there are also some influencers that I follow, who push me to do the same. It’s crazy that I’ve never met any of them and yet, they still inspire me to become my best self.
So, I’ve created a list of 10 modern women that I follow on Instagram that you should be following too! These women are absolute queens. They don’t let anyone get in their way, they work hard, they build others up, they love themselves, share their love with others, and best of all, they are living their best lives.
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Tanya Rad @tanyarad
Tanya Rad is a radio talk show host on “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” and a co-host on the podcast “Scrubbing In with Becca Tilley and Tanya Rad”. Before following Tanya on Instagram, I’d never heard of the term “modern women”. But it didn’t take me long to realize how Tanya herself is the ultimate modern woman who is constantly fueling my fire. She said in an Instagram post, “As a #modernwoman, I choose to elevate & root for other women in my industry. I choose to find my own strength every single day. I choose to prove to myself that I can do anything I set my mind to. I choose to be unapologetically myself, no matter what other people think. I know my worth & choose to not give any discounts”. I even had an opportunity to attend Tanya’s “A Modern Woman’s Guide To Love” Live event in October. Her outlook on life has truly inspired me to be bold, spread my wings, and find the beauty in each and every day. And like Tanya says, “You don’t define (a modern woman), you ARE one”.
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Paige Arminta @paigearminta
Paige Arminta is a Digital Creator on Instagram and the founder of Arminta.Co, which is her new clothing company. Paige is a photogenic, cookie loving queen. I started following Paige because I quickly fell in love with her creative photos and I loved seeing the behind-the-scenes of how she captured her posts. She’s taken photos in the middle of a busy NYC street surrounded by taxi cabs, in the center of a skate park ramp, and even on her toilet at home! But other than her photos, I love Paige’s page because she is genuinely herself. She loves to get real with her followers during both the good and hard times. She shares her struggles with her body dysmorphia, she encourages others to head outside, she pushes others to get moving, while also inspiring her followers to be creative.
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Indy Blue @indyblue_
Indy Blue is the founder of her clothing company, Lonely Ghost, she’s a social media star, and she even calls herself “a bad influencer”. Not only is Indy known for her iconic photos and captions, but she’s also known for being open and honest with her followers. That’s what I love most about her. She shares the ins and outs of her life through her posts and stories and even gets more down to earth with her followers when she writes on her blog. And yes, her photos and clothing brand are insanely cool, but to know that Indy is just an ordinary girl, like me, living her dream life, inspires me to become more like her. She inspires me to live care-free, create my dream life, love myself, and be authentically real with others.
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Lizzo @lizzobeeating
Do I even have to explain myself?! Lizzo’s 100% that bitch, the booty-popping queen, and one of the only celebrities I follow who leaves it all out on the table. She’s leading the way for many young Black women by inspiring them to use their voices and take a stand. She said in an Instagram post, “I am the first big black woman on the cover of @voguemagazine. The first black anything feels overdue… To all my black girls, if someone like you hasn’t done it yet- BE THE FIRST”. During the beginning of the elections, Lizzo used her platform to educate her viewers on the power of voting. She went “live” with Kamala Harris and had a conversation about the elections. She even shared a video of herself bringing her ballot to the boxes with her designer clutch, which held her ballot, all while wearing an American flag bikini top. I can’t think of anything more iconic.
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Cara Loren @caraloren
Cara Loren is a fashion lifestyle blogger, a mom of three, the founder of the Cara Loren Shop and Okoa Home, and is the ultimate fitness queen. I started following Cara around the age of 16 because I fell in love with her style, travel photos, and fitness videos. I used to see an outfit that Cara posted and then would look through my mom and sister’s closets so that I could recreate it. Then, Cara started posting videos of her workouts and I think it’s safe to say that I now have almost all of her workouts bookmarked on my Instagram so that I can look back and do them! What I love about Cara is that shares her life with her followers and isn’t afraid to be different!
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Keaton Milburn @kkeeaattoonn
Keaton Milburn is a Digital Creator on Instagram, Co-Founder of Twin Flames, the host of “I’m Into It!” Podcast, and a daily YouTuber. Very modern woman energy, if you ask me! I started following Keaton when she was in college and watching her graduate last year, and start her own brand gives me all kinds of hope for what I can accomplish in the next couple of years. Keaton shares some behind-the-scenes of her life on YouTube through her daily vlogs and week in my life videos. After falling in love with them, Keaton became the main influence on why I started to film my daily life to share with people. What I love most about her is that she’s bold, she absolutely rocks her pink hair, and she inspires other women to be themselves.
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Hannah Brown @hannahbrown
From being on the Bachelor, to becoming the Bachelorette, and then winning Dancing with the Stars, Hannah Brown has transformed into an empowered woman! In an interview with Marie Claire Magazine, Hannah said, she’s “Done accepting less than she deserves. Done putting a man before herself”. Since then, Hannah has used her platform to spread love and give support toward other women. In an Instagram post, Hannah said, “I stand with all the incredible women from all walks of life who are using their voices everyday to empower each other and lift one another up”. I love following celebrities who feel like they don’t have to be perfect all the time. Hannah has been open about her mental health, her struggle with balance, and her journey towards self-love. What a queen, or should I say beast?!
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AOC @aoc
Shes’ an educator, an activist, and a Congresswoman. Need I say more? Many have said that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the key to inspiring the next generation of change-makers. An article said that “She connects deeply with so many because she speaks, live streams, and tweets with a mantra of “me = we.” AOC’s Instagram page is full of informational content, as well as videos of her speaking from the heart and speaking the truth. The New York Times, said it best, “One of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s biggest strengths on Instagram is that she tries to bring her followers into the political process and convince them that they, too, could someday be in her shoes”.
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Hannah Meloche @hannahmeloche
Hannah Meloche is a nine-teen year old YouTuber and is the founder of her jewelry company, Starlite Village. Just a few days ago, she surpassed over 2 million subscribers and that completely blows my mind! I’ve been following Hannah for a while now, and I feel like I’ve grown up with her. Hannah highlights all of her favorite memories on Instagram and gets even more real in her daily vlogs. Not only is Hannah inspiring me to capture those candid moments, but I love that she uses her platform to spread kindness, encourage others, and connect with people.
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Rachel Cargle @rachel.cargle
Rachel Cargle is a Black American author, speaker, and activist, who is known for her involvement in anti-racist work. Rachel is also the founder of the Loveland Foundation which aims to “bring opportunity and healing to communities of color, and especially to Black women and girls”. Rachel uses her platform to educate her followers. She said in an Instagram post, that her page is “dedicated to my ancestors, the bold & brilliant black women who have fought hard & long & passionately from the slave fields to the courthouses. I am a continuation of their work, I hope to be their wildest dream come to life.” I love that Rachel is so open and honest and I appreciate that she’s using her platform to continue to educate her followers.
Overall, these 10 women are absolute goals and are the ultimate modern women. If there’s one thing to take away from this article, it’d be that you have the ability to be your own modern woman! Find those people in your life that you look up to; the ones who fuel your fire and push you to become a better you. Once you do this, you’ll become unstoppable. So, make it happen, girl. Shock everyone.