In light of March being Women’s History Month, and today being International Women’s Day, I jumped at the chance to share with you a few (trust me, the list is waaaay longer, this is by no means all-inclusive) women who made me who I am today–by be being the badass, empowered ladies they are, in no particular order.
Female Family Members
If you want to know more about the woman who somehow raised me (I was devil-spawn, I wish I was kidding) click here. Moms in general are pretty darn amazing. So are aunts, step-moms, sisters, grandmothers, cousins, mothers-in-law…I could go on and on. Getting groceries AND going to school in one day is already enough for me to handle. Lord knows how they manage to have children, actually raise them (despite all the crying, projectile vomiting, etc), do all the laundry, put food on the table, drive every kid to their respective activities… I mean come on. There is something to be said for having a close relative to inspire you from childhood, all the way until you are an “adult,” trying to do things “on your own.” Who else would we call in the middle of the night in search of the wisdom only she can provide?
My Best Female Friends
Without these women, I would have worn so many ugly outfits. So thanks for that, gals. But on a more serious note, nobody else understands me and what I’m going through than my nucleus of girlfriends. I can cry about nothing and they’ll hold me and feed me Ben and Jerry’s until the sad tears turn into happy tears. These ladies are my soulmates, secret keepers, lifelong support group, and being away from them for more than six hours gives me a serious case of separation anxiety. I know all of my female friends are going places, because they are all tenacious and passionate women in their own right, and they inspire the heck out of me every single day.
J.K. Rowling
The woman started writing the most influential book series OF ALL TIME on a NAPKIN while she was raising her daughter alone on hardly any money. She brought magic into our lives, and gave us hope in the darkest of times. Need we say more? Actually, yes. Go follow her on twitter.
Miss Milam
I’m absolutely positive you have had a teacher who showed you what you were capable of from a young age. For me, it was Miss Milam my sixth grade English teacher. Before her class, all I knew was that I was a huge book nerd (still am, in case J.K. didn’t give it away) and that I was the only girl in the whole school with sweaty armpits and pimples all over my brace-face. Let’s just say it was a darker time in my childhood. But Miss Milam gave me confidence. One distinct memory I have, where I knew I was supposed to be a writer, was the time she showed an essay of mine on the overhead projector. I felt like Miss America. It was cool to be smart. I could help others with their reading and spelling, and they were glad that I helped them, and I felt like I made her proud in doing so. I went into her classroom and immediately felt like I belonged. She taught me a lot more than English (“a lot” is actually two words, something I got wrong on our first spelling test…Thanks Miss Milam!); she taught me how to strive to be my best self.
The Williams Sisters
I can’t say I’m a huge fan of watching sports, but I love Venus and Serena. They represent dedication, passion, athleticism, class, and strength on and off the court. They showed me and millions of other girls and women that strong is beautiful, and that hard work pays off.
Malala Yousafzai
When she was only eleven years old, Malala advocated for education for girls in the Swat Valley and detailed her life under Taliban occupation via online blogging. A few years later, she survived a brutal attack on her life, and went on to argue for women’s education on a global scale. Among many other accolades, Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, of which she became the youngest-ever laureate. She also called on world leaders to invest in “books, not bullets,” on her 18th birthday, when she opened up a school for Syrian refugee girls in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. I am completely in awe of this incredible woman, and I do my best to carry her wisdom and passion with me every single day.
Emma Watson
Okay, all Harry Potter-related bias aside, can we talk about this amazing woman for a second? She started out playing the independent, smart, rockstar-witch Hermione Granger, only to grow up to be someone Hermione herself would be overly proud to know. In July 2014 she officially became the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, and the following September launched the HeForShe campaign, urging men to advocate for gender equality. She is all feminist spunk and smarts, and did I mention she can rock a pixie cut?
Amy Schumer
You didn’t seriously think I would leave her off this list, did you? She puts a new face on female comics and gave Hollywood stereotypes a swift kick in the nads. I, along with practically every other twenty-something girl in the US, want to be her best friend…stat.
Like I said, the list of influential women in my life could go on for days. I have been blessed with a life filled with powerful female examples. Also, it would take way too long to list every member of Her Campus globally, because without this organization I have no idea what I’d be doing today. Happy International Women’s Day to all of our readers, we hope you think about and thank the women who changed your life today and every day.
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