April is not only a time to celebrate the coming of spring, but also the badass women all over the world. The month of April is National Women’s History Month, and it is a very important time to reflect upon and appreciate the work of women before us, who have helped pave the way towards change in today’s world. Not only is it important to reflect on the women of the past, but also the current female powerhouses, who are constantly seeking change and justice, for those who otherwise don’t have the fame and fortune to bring awareness to the issues themselves. Many celebrities nowadays are actually using their platform to shine a light on important issues and give voices to those who don’t have as big of a following. With the help of their individual power and efforts, the rest of us will start to see that needed change
1. Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox is an American transgender actress, reality star and producer. Her career took off when she booked the role of Sophia Burset in the Netflix Original Series, Orange Is The New Black. Prior to this though, she helped create the VH1 hit TRANSform Me. Between these two shows, Laverne Cox became the first African-American transgender to produce and star in her own show, and the first openly transgender to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy.
She is also very famous for her LGBTQ+ advocacy, and giving a voice to those who otherwise are being put down by societal pressures. Her ability to breakdown the barriers through her successes in the acting industry as a transgender woman shows a great deal of her power, alone. This showed the thousands of viewers and fans of OITNB, that acceptance and equality should be given to all no matter race, gender, or sexuality. Her perseverance to not be afraid of the haters is truly inspiring. Cox was awarded by GLAAD for her advocacy and work, and is looked at today as the face of hope for the transgender community.
2. Lady Gaga
There has not been one moment in Lady Gaga’s career that she has not been fully and unapologetically herself, which has created a sense of acceptance with her fans. Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, Gaga has taken the music industry by storm since her first hit single stole our hearts back in 2008. She caught the public’s attention so quickly because of her unconventional contribution to the scene; she was always wearing or doing something that was typically deemed “odd” or “controversial.” Without her proactive mindset, though, her fans would not have been able to feel as though they too can be themselves, regardless of what society says, which is the biggest message Gaga tries to send to her fans. She even calls them her Little Monsters. She took this idea of self-love and acceptance, and actually turned it into something, too.
In 2012, Gaga used her own successes and fortune to launch the Born This Way Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that focuses on youth empowerment. It is not only a space used to promote self-love in younger individuals but it has most powerfully been used to help put an end to bullying, both physically and online. The advocacy doesn’t stop there, though. As a bisexual woman herself, Gaga is also constantly speaking out on behalf of the LQBTQ+ community to promote equal opportunities for all, specifically advocating on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Lady Gaga uses her platform to give her fans and those fighting every day, a safe and accepting space.
3. Shailene Woodley
It wasn’t until Shailene Woodley was arrested on October 10, 2016 at the site for the protesting of the Dakota Access Pipeline, that the general public was aware of her advocacy and efforts she is constantly making. Woodley started her acting career in 2008 as the role of Amy Juergens in ABC Family’s The Secret Life of The American Teenager. Her fame and fortune didn’t start skyrocketing though, until years later when she took on the lead role of the box office hits The Fault In Our Stars and The Divergent Series. For awhile, Woodley was seen as the “girl-next-door” in Hollywood, but this all changed when she started expressing her passions for the environment and her love for cleaner living. This doesn’t just mean that she lives a minimalist lifestyle and eats entirely plant-based, which she actually does, but she is very passionate about keeping the planet clean and maintaining our natural resources. She believes the only way to ensure a clean world for the future generations tomorrow, is to take care of it today.
This is what sparked her decision to join in the North Dakota protesting in the fall of 2016. She wanted to give a voice to the Sioux tribe, whose homes the pipeline would be destroying, while also advocating to stop destructive actions on our planet’s natural resources (i.e. water, soil, essential elements). During her acceptance speech at the Environmental Media Association Awards where she was honored for her activism, Woodley stated,“For me, it’s not about helping the environment or saving the environment. It’s about recognizing that I want my children to know a world where Manhattan isn’t all the way under water.”
4. Lilly Singh
It all started when she recorded her first video on her laptop and uploaded it to YouTube, back in 2010. Since then, Lilly Singh, or known in the YouTube community as IISuperwomanII, has broken the Internet time and time again, reaching a whopping 13+ million subscribers, 2 billion views on her channel, and the million dollar revenue deals that have come along with that. Lilly had always wanted to be a rapper, dancer and actor, but lacked the confidence to pursue this dream, until she found that she was able to put her creative energy into YouTube. Since then, she has starred in blockbuster movies like “Bad Moms” and “Ice Age: Collision Course”, and even wrote her own book titled How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life. Since becoming one of the most successful YouTubers today, Singh has used her successes to press on her audience important issues that need to be discussed.
Her focus is on young girls and women, and helping them learn to love themselves, while also loving each other. In 2015, Lilly uploaded a video on her channel titled “The #GirlLove Challenge,” and in it she used the hashtag #GirlLove. Since then, this has been her advocacy platform. She wants to put an end to girl-on-girl hate in schools, workplaces, and all over the world, no matter the age. In her video she challenged girls every where to post a compliment towards another female on social media using the hashtag, to get the word out there, which ultimately created a movement. The best part of #GirlLove? All the proceeds Singh earned from her video, she donated to the Malala Fund in support of educating women around the world. Being an Indian women born and raised in Toronto, Canada, she is very passionate for bringing education to women who are less fortunate, and the overall equal opportunity of an education. This past year she has traveled to India with UNICEF, after being awarded as one of their Goodwill Ambassadors, in hope to promote a new campaign she has started that attempts to bring awareness of the cruciality of worldwide education for both youth and women. At just 29 years old, Lilly has already contributed so much towards ensuring that our world one day sees change.