PRAISING POWERFUL WOMEN | IWD 2021

Happy International Women’s Day!

The celebration of International Women's Day may seem as though it is a recent occurrence, but the history of this wonderful day goes right back to the early 1900s. In 1908, thousands of women took to the streets of New York City and actively campaigned for voting rights and better working conditions and, one year later, the first National Women's Day was seen in the US. Following this, women from all over the world embarked on a mission to make their voices heard - and they succeeded! In 1914 it was agreed that International Women's Day would be celebrated annually on March 8th. Initially, the movement was only really celebrated in communist countries, however, in the late 1960s, International Women's Day became much more associated with the feminist movement. The United Nations began to celebrate International Women's Day in 1977 and the rest is history...

Although I believe that women should be celebrated every single day, I do find myself looking forward to International Women's Day every time it comes around. Thinking back to the trailblazers who paved the way for me and my generation, and thinking forward to the change that the future generation of women will make is extremely encouraging.

I thought I'd write a blog post today in celebration of some of the women who are inspiring today's generation, and to show some appreciation to some of the women who bring love and happiness into my life...

1. Jacinda Ardern

Jacinda Ardern is the current Prime Minister of New Zealand and, over the past few years, she has become a role model of mine. Ardern is the youngest person to become New Zealand's head of government, the third female Prime Minister of New Zealand, and the second head of government to give birth whilst in office. Whilst I admire these achievements, this is not why I look up to Jacinda Ardern. In terms of her leadership style, I believe that Jacinda Ardern possesses some very unique qualities. She is genuine, personable, likeable and seems as though she truly cares about the lives of every single New Zealander. She has handled her country's crises in effective yet compassionate ways and, to me, Jacinda Ardern embodies what it is to be a leader.

2. Ariana Grande

From running a fan account for her back in the day, to waiting outside the BBC studios to meet her, anyone who knows me knows that my love for Ariana Grande runs deep. Whilst I'm not such a die hard fan of Ariana's anymore, I still consider her to be an extremely inspiring and powerful woman. Alongside her amazing career achievements (Grammy wins, consistent chart topping, and breaking world records,) Ariana has also experienced a lot of pain in her life. One of the things I admire most about Ariana Grande is her ability to rise above the tragedies she's faced, and the multiple times that she's taken her suffering and turned it into something beautiful. She is a wonderful role model and a symbol of resilience and hope for so many.

3. Amanda Gorman

I, like many other people, first discovered Amanda Gorman when she recited her poem The Hill We Climb at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this year. Amanda Gorman is a poet and activist who, at the age of just 16 years old, became the first US National Poet Laureate. This year, she was featured in Time Magazine's 100 Next List and she continues to break boundaries and achieve new things. Her poetry focuses on issues of feminism and race and I find her words extremely uplifting. Her recital of The Hill We Climb at Biden's inauguration seemed to set a tone of hope for this year, and her words have stuck with me ever since. She has achieved so much at such a young age and she is an extremely inspiring figure.

4. My Friends

I've been friends with big groups of girls for as long as I can remember and, despite what you might assume, there's never been much drama or bitchiness within these groups. I'm lucky to have so many amazing girl friends, and whenever I spend time with them I come away feeling so happy and uplifted. I met all of the girls pictured above at school and sixth form so, as you can imagine, we are now all on very different journeys. Some, like me, are at university, some have full time jobs and some have started their own businesses. Seeing my friends succeed in all of their various ventures is an amazing feeling, and knowing that I can rely on such hard working, funny and genuine girls feels even better.

5. My Mum

I can't write a post all about women without mentioning my amazing mum. So, I've saved the best until last! I've always been a family oriented person, and without my mum I (literally) don't know where I'd be. She cooks amazing meals, she's so creative, and she's always up for a good game of monopoly! But, most importantly, my mum is the best teacher and my number 1 fan. My mum has taught me so much in my life: how to cook, how to fend for myself and even how to blend my foundation properly (life saver!!) and she continues to teach me new things every single day. She is always 100% supportive of everything that I decide to do, and she has shaped me into the person that I am today. I feel so incredibly grateful to have my mum by my side, and if I turn out to be half the woman that she is I will count myself very lucky!