Every fall, as I worry about whatever last-minute Halloween costume I’m putting together, I also must worry about the date on which I am reminded about the unsettling passage of time, my imminent birthday.
I turned 21 on Oct. 29. For my 20th milestone last year, I wrote 10 reflections I’m taking with me to my 20s. And as I wrap up the first year of that decade, I want to reflect a little on some of my biggest female idols.
Women in pop culture who have shaped me and will continue to shape me into my adulthood:
- Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an actress, activist, writer and all-around Hollywood legend. Born December 21, 1937, her work in film and television spans over seven decades, two Academy awards, and a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, among others.
You might recognize her from her extensive filmography, or as the face of the 80s aerobics fitness craze. Or, more recently, you may have seen her in one of my favorite shows, Grace & Frankie, alongside Lily Tomlin (an extremely honorable mention to this list).
Fonda has completely redefined what it means to be a Hollywood actress. Since early on her career, she has been a vocal advocate for social and political change, using her platform in a way we don’t usually see celebrities do.
Perhaps what I admire most is her readiness to step into the frontlines to fight for what she believes in. In 2019, Fonda spent her 82nd birthday in jail after engaging in civil disobedience during the “Fire Drill Fridays” climate change protests she helped organize in Washington, D.C.
However, Fonda is no stranger to jail-time—she has been arrested six times (so far). Most famously, she was arrested in 1970 at an airport while returning from an anti-Vietnam War speaking engagement in Canada.
In her mugshot, Fonda is raising her fist in defiance and sporting a hefty mullet, a sharp contrast to her admired blonde bombshell look. In my opinion, that iconic photograph represents the powerful voice of womankind, and it inspires me to stand up, even when it feels easier to stand still.
It also reminds me to contribute to something bigger than myself.
- Joan Didion
I struggled even coming up with a faithful introduction for Joan Didion, but I feel writer Viv Chen encapsulates her well in the passage above.
I believe that Didion is one of the most iconic American writers of all time. Born December 5, 1934, in Sacramento, California, she started her career writing for Vogue right after graduating from UC Berkeley with an English degree.
She then went on to become a revered novelist, essayist, and blueprint for cultural writing. Some of her most notable works include “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” “The White Album,” “Play It As It Lays,” and “The Year of Magical Thinking.”
I can’t write about Joan Didion without imagining myself summoning the idealized reader judgingly monitoring over my shoulder: a Lana del Rey-type literature girly who has read Didion’s entire bibliography (and niche Vogue essays), whose style you can only describe as effortlessly cool.
Admittedly, I am not her—I’ve only read a couple of her books, and I put an embarrassing amount of effort into looking like I didn’t put effort at all. But the reason I included Joan Didion on this list is because she is the object of my fascination when it comes to writing. And perhaps even more so, I am enamored by her presence.
I first became drawn to Didion when I started falling in love with the media, especially in magazines. To me, she’s the epitome of editorial: high-fashion, intellectual, intimidating, understated.
Someone who writes about fashion and culture with the same precision and sophistication people reserve for art and politics. Someone you’d do anything to impress.
And yes, I’m obsessed with her aesthetics. Which sounds superficial, but she’s the ultimate intellectual it-girl, something she herself would probably have rolled her eyes at: “I am not in the least an intellectual, which is not to say that when I hear the word ‘intellectual’ I reach for my gun, but only to say that I do not think in abstracts.”
Joan Didion gravitated towards specifics over the abstract, and by specifics she meant what was tangible, peripheral. For me, those specifics are the photographs of her with a cigarette in hand, sunglasses, and her piercing stare into the camera.
And if I have to think in abstracts, all I can really say is that there’s something about Joan Didion that feels impossible to capture, and impossible to look away from.
- Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is nothing short of a trailblazer for the Latino community in Hollywood. Not only was she the first Latina to win an Oscar, but she was also the first Latino performer to achieve EGOT status.
Surpassing Fonda and Didion by a few years, Rita Moreno turns a youthful 95 years of age in 2026. With nearly a century of life behind her, she speaks with the same eloquence and humor as she did at only 30 years old.
She’s considered one of the last remaining stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age, rising to fame with her breakout role as Anita in the 1961 classic West Side Story, a performance that earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
What I admire, in addition to her distinguished accolades (which she’s continually praised for, rightly so) is her origin story. Rita Moreno was born on December 11, 1931, in Humacao, Puerto Rico. A few years later, her mother moved with her to Harlem in New York City, where she would begin building her career in entertainment.
As she entered the industry, she was forced to change original birth name, Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano, for a more “marketable” identity.
Despite her talent, she faced constant barriers, from being stereotyped into roles to enduring exploitation behind the scenes. She also spent years in a relationship that deeply affected her sense of self.
Knowing this, West Side Story becomes a tale of the real world. It reflects the struggles of immigrant communities trying to adapt to American society with facing constant hardship.
Rita’s Oscar win becomes a much deeper achievement that speaks to that population. Moreno recounts the reaction to her win: “He announced my name and the place went up in smoke—my neighborhood. People yelling out the windows ‘She did it! She did it!’ and what they were really saying was ‘We did it.’”
I think I felt close to that when Bad Bunny won Album of the Year at the Grammy’s earlier this year, a win that extended far beyond the music.
Rita Moreno remains a cultural icon to this day, inspiring Latinas like me to put ourselves where others don’t believe we belong.
Conclusion
In my opinion, it is absolutely imperative that every woman in her 20s has those three women ready to name off the top of her head when asked who her female idols are.
In my 20s, I find comfort in looking toward women who have lived so many lives within one lifetime—women who have continued to evolve and challenge expectations, long after anyone might have expected them to slow down.
If anything, they remind me that there’s no deadline for becoming the person you want to me.
So, at 21, I have no grand conclusions about life. I have a whole decade to figure out who I am and what I believe in and what I want to contribute to the world. And, if all else fails, at least I have great taste in women.