Top 10 Woman Who Have Inspired Me

Happy International Women’s Day, to everyone! On this special day, I decided to research a few influential women to further broaden my knowledge on women who have shaped the world. While researching, I found out that this year, Forbes released their list of the “Top 10 Most Influential People in the World”. Much to my surprise, the list only had one woman, Angela Merkel; a German politician sitting at the #4 spot on the list. This got me to think about the millions of women around the world who have made a positive impact. So, I decided to make my own list, the “Top 10 Women Who Have Inspired Me”.

10. Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai is a 22 year old, Pakistani women’s rights activist. She is a victim of a gunshot attack, after defending women’s educational rights from the Taliban in 2012. She is the author of over 6 successful books, and the youngest person to ever recieve a Nobel Peace Prize. Malala has inspired me for over 6 years, being she is a young Pakistani woman, an assasination attempt survivor, and a dedicated activist for women’s education. She has inspired me from a young age, that no matter how old you are, or where you’re from, you have the power to make a positive impact.

9. Michelle Obama

I believe that Michelle Obama has inspired a large majority of women around the world. She was the first African-American first lady, and used her power to help people all over the world. Besides her many charitable contributions around the world, Michelle Obama also devotes her power to influence Americans and the rest of the world to eat healthier and stay active. Especially in the United States, where the adult obesity rate is over 30%. Michelle Obama has personally inspired me because she is a woman of colour, and used her influence and power to make impactful changes in the world.

8. Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle had made headline news for many things surrounding her life. Including, becoming the Duchess of Sussex, by marrying Prince Harry, and eventually leaving the Royal Family with her husband to become financially independent. But, what inspires me most about her, is her backstory. She started off as an extra for Deal or No Deal, then successfully transitioned into acting, with her breakout role as Rachel in Suits. She became the first woman of colour to be married into the royal family. I believe she should inspire women all over the world because she is a humanitarian and uses her power to help those in need. I am so inspired by her because she faced mass bullying in the United Kingdom, and decided that enough was enough, so she departed from the Royals and is making her own money, and choosing to go back into acting, despite the negative opinions that come her way.

7. Madonna

Madonna is known for being a pop music icon, but I know her for re-defining female beauty standards in the 90s. At a time in the world when skinny, petitie, and feminine women were the only women who were considered beautiful, Madonna showed the world that having more masculine features as a female is also beautiful. She has inspired me my entire life, because I am personally not petite, I have broader shoulders, man-like legs, and hands. Madonna used her influence to show people that all women are beautiful, despite many people hating her and calling her a “beast”. She has impacted the way I see myself, in a better light, more confidently.

6. Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel is a fashion icon, but her reasoning behind her infamous “little black dress” is overlooked. In the 20s, where women were expected to wear tight and uncomfortable clothes, in order to appeal to the male fantasy, Coco Chanel turned this idea upside down, and created comfortable clothes, specifically for women. Sure, you could say she inspires me because she’s such a famous fashion icon, but, the real reason why she inspires me, is her care towards women’s comfort. She took the risk of making a product that no one else was doing, and became successful.

5. Lupita Nyong’o

Lupita Nyong'o won the Oscar for “Best Supporting Actress” in 2013, for her role in the movie “12 Years a Slave”. She won an Oscar for her first movie. Lupita is an inspiration to me because of her immense talent as an actress, but also her beauty. Lupita is one of the only dark-skinned women of colour to be listed on the most beautiful women in the world. She is a Kenyan-Mexican woman, who has made a name for herself in the film industry, and is regarded as one of the most talented actresses in present time.

4. Rihanna

Of course, the queen herself had to be added to my list. Who doesn’t love Rihanna? She makes banger after banger, and is the CEO of multi-million dollar company, Fenty Beauty. She is so powerful that her home country, Barbados, appointed her as an ambassador. She’s talented at singing, good at dancing, overall entertaining, and DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. When she launched Fenty Beauty in 2017, her mission was to create shades of foundation for every skin tone, creating 40 shades. Her goal to make her makeup fully inclusive, inspired dozens of other cosmetic companies to do the same thing. Rihanna personally inspires me because she is a whole BADDIE, and teaches women to love themselves without the need of a significant other. She uses her influence for good, and spreads confident energy to everyone.

3. Sophia Amoruso

You may not know her by name, by Sophia Amoruso is the CEO of fashion company, Nasty Gal, and author of Best-Selling book, Girl Boss. I believe that her book, Girl Boss has had a large impact on my life, and the way I see myself. I read Girl Boss around 4 years ago, and it has never left my mind since. Sophia motivated me to become my own boss, to take control of my life and own it. In her book, she talks about her struggles, her failures, her successes, and what she has learned. Her life story was so interesting, that it was picked up as a t.v. show, as it should, PERIODT!

2. Greta Gerwig

Recently I just watched Greta Gerwig’s 2 movies, Lady Bird and Little Women. Spoiler alert, I absolutely loved both of them. Greta Gerwig’s ability to add her own elements to a rather over-done genre (coming of age), shows the talent she has as a director. Lady Bird is a beautiful and relatable story of a teenage girl facing her life head on. I was so inspired by the story, but also on a film-making aspect. She perfectly captures real emotions and makes you sympathize with each one. Her adaptation of the classic novel, Little Women, is another reason why she inspires me. The original novel focuses on the 4 March sisters, Jo, Amy, Meg and Beth. In the book, Jo wants to become a writer, while her sister Meg dreams of marrying and starting a family. It is implied that Jo is somewhat better than her sister Meg because she has career aspirations. But in the movie, Meg delivered a beautiful line, written by Greta Gerwig, stating that just because she has different dreams than Jo, doesn’t mean hers are less important. This quote from the movie shows Gerwig’s true feminism. She believes that all women have dreams that are validated. Even if you long for love, your wants are still just as worthy as everyone else. She makes it so that Jo isn’t on a higher level than Meg, but the same, like they stand together.

1. My Mom!

Yes, my mama is the woman who inspires me most. She is the one who has taught me everything I know. She was only 23 when she took the risk of moving to Canada, leaving behind her already established life, in order for her children to have a better life. My mom is the most self-less, most beautiful, kindest and most caring person I know. She has taught me kindness, but has also inspired me to be a whole baddie. My mom always said to focus on your education, and never let anyone take it away from you. She really cares about others, which makes me want to be a better person. She does everything in her power to make her kids happy, without any complaints. I learned fashion and makeup from her, and I also learned to love myself from her. She motivates me and gives me confidence. She makes me want to be better every day. That is why my mama is the most inspiring woman in my life.

What woman inspires you the most? Let me know :)