International Women’s Day is a fantastic day to celebrate women who are inspirational and badass on a daily basis. That may be your mother, your sister… maybe even yourself! These well-known female figures have been making waves in recent years, whether that be by speaking out about gender equality at the United Nation Headquarters or popularising certain sports for a new generation of girls by winning gold. There is no limit to what women can achieve, something that these fantastic ladies continue to prove in everything that they do!
Emma Watson
Following from her breakout role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, Emma Watson has used her superstardom fame for good by fighting for gender equality. In 2014 she was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and since has launched the UN Women campaign HeForShe, which calls for men to join the gender equality discussion, to help raise greater awareness of gender disparity and to make a permanent change. As part of her work as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Emma delivered an address at the UN Headquarters in New York City about the true meaning of feminism: equal rights and opportunities for men and women. Her speech has since garnered millions of views online and continues to inspire people worldwide.
In January 2016, Emma started a feminist book club on Twitter called 'Our Shared Shelf'. Other celebrities immediately got on board with the club, including FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Abby Wambach and One Tree Hill actress Sophia Bush. The club currently has almost 120K members on Goodreads and is steadily growing. A book is selected to read every month and then discussions are created on the site so that everyone can get involved. What better way to connect with other women from around the world?
Jessica Ennis-Hill
Jessica Ennis-Hill is the current British national record holder for the heptathlon and the current Olympic and world heptathlon champion. She became a national treasure at the London 2012 Olympic with her fighting performance, as she came out on top with a tremendous show to win gold for her country. The night Jessica was crowned Olympic champion was incredibly special, as anyone who was watching can remember. It became one of the most iconic moments of the London 2012 Olympics and no doubt Jessica would like nothing more than to recreate that magic this summer at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Since the last Olympic Games on our home turf, Jessica has become a mother. Only two track and field athletes have ever returned to the Olympics after having children to then retain their Olympic titles, so for Jessica to achieve such a feat would be absolutely extraordinary. Not that we have any doubts in her abilities – she won her second world title in Beijing just 13 months after her son Reggie was born. If anyone can do it, Jessica definitely can!
Lena Dunham
Everyone who knows who Lena Dunham is knows that she isn’t afraid to be outspoken about issues that matter. The TV show Girls, which she stars in, created and often directs, portrays the lives of four young women living in New York City in a refreshing, funny and unapologetic way. Girls has gone on to achieve amazing success, earning multiple nominations and wins for prestigious awards. In February 2013, Lena became the first woman to win a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series for her work on Girls, an honour that only highlights her outstanding creativity.
In 2015, Lena and Jenni Konner launched Lenny Letters, an online newsletter, which covers topics including feminism, style, health, politics and friendship, and is filled with writing from staff and Lena’s celebrity friends. Jennifer Lawrence’s famous essay about the gender pay gap in Hollywood made headlines everywhere when it was first published on Lenny. The newsletter is a great online platform for people to explore fascinating essays and keep the gender equality conversation flowing, by touching both on light-hearted and heavier topics.
Nicola Adams
Nicola Adams is a lot more than your regular Olympic champion (not that Olympic champions are ever regular in any way). In 2012, Nicola became the first ever female boxing champion at both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. After winning gold at the London 2012 Olympics, Nicola became a household name as an awesome boxer and as an advocate for the LGBT community, as she became the first openly LGBT person to win an Olympic boxing gold medal and was named the most influential LGBT person in Britain by The Independent. The Rio 2016 Olympics are on the horizon and we can’t wait to see what Nicola has in store for Team GB!
Nicola’s sporting success has inspired more women to take up boxing. According to a Sport England survey, the number of women participating in boxing and boxing training once-a-week rose by 50 per cent only a year after Nicola rose to prominence as an Olympic champion. She was also awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to boxing. Nicola has her sights set on becoming a double Olympic gold champion and we have complete faith that she can make her dreams a reality.
Shonda Rhimes
If you don’t know who Shonda Rhimes is (shocking!) then chances are you probably know one of her shows. Shonda is the creator of medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, its spin-off series Private Practice, political thriller Scandal and exciting drama How to Get Away with Murder. There seems no end to the success of shows produced by ShondaLand, as their popularity is only growing as time goes on. Shonda is often described as a trailblazer for including a diverse array of characters of different nationalities and sexualities in her shows. However, she’s publicly stated that this is inaccurate, as she has rightly pointed out that it shouldn’t be seen as trailblazing to depict the world the way that it actually is.
In any case, there is no question that Shonda is one inspiring lady. In 2007, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 People Who Help Shape The world, now known as Time 100. This January, she won the Producers Guild’s Normal Lear Award for Achievement in Television, the only female recipient of the award. ShondaLand shows continue to rule the TV waves and Shonda is the creative genius behind them!
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