Who Run the World? GIRLS!
Happy International Women's Day! On a day full of celebrating the strength, beauty, and power of women, I wanted to reflect on and shout out the women in my life that constantly inspire me, support me, and positively impact my life. And in the words of the queen that is Beyonce, who run the world? Girls!
Growing up, as a young girl, I always felt like I could do whatever I set my mind to. Whether that was with sports, school, or whatever else I was into at the time, I always felt like I had what it took to achieve or overcome any obstacle in my path. As I got older, I started to recognize that even though I still had a strong sense of self as a female, the world around me necessarily didn't. I started to see the kind of obstacles that were constantly placed in front of women, whether that was sexism, harassment, inequality in pay, belittling, all that bullshit. That awareness though allowed me to witness the strength of women who everyday choose to be themselves, to push themselves, and make decisions for themselves. There are so many women out in the world today who are such inspirations, in all walks of life, and I wanted to highlight some women in my life who have been incredibly lights.
My Mom
Of course this rockstar of a woman is at the top of my list. My mom is my best friend and my go-to person in life. She's constantly making me laugh (whether she means to or not) and has really been a great example when it comes to being a thoughtful, hard working woman who refuses to be anybody but herself.
My Gramma
This woman, in my opinion, is truly the backbone of my family. My gramma has always been such a great support system for me and for everybody around her. Her unconditional love inspires me to be more patient and to not let a day go by without telling the people closest to you how much they mean to you.
(If she's reading this, I know for a fact that she will be crying. Love you Gramma.)
My Girlfriends
I have been really lucky in life to have a pretty great group of girlfriends. Especially in this last year, I feel like I have really strengthened my bonds with my closest friends and watching them follow their passions and dreams constantly inspires me. I know that if I ever need to talk, cry, dance, or just kick back for a movie night, I can rely on my friends.
(Special shout out to Danielle, Gabby, Nicole, Haley, Catie, Brittany, Grace, and Mollie, especially in this last year, you guys rock.)
My Boss
My boss is everything I want to be in a career woman. She is driven, she is smart, she is hardworking, and she does it all while still having a smile on her face. My boss is the VP of Marketing for our company but started out exactly where I'm at right now as a Marketing Intern. She worked her way up to an executive position and her work ethic always inspires me.
Gloria Steinem
In college, I took a course on Women's Studies and that opened up my eyes to a whole world of powerful feminists who really paved the way for women to come and inspired me to be more vocal about how I identify as a feminist (honestly, everyone should). Steinem was a strong woman whose career spanned many accomplishments and shows of activism. I think she's a wonderful leader and set the stage for many women activists to come.
Lauren Conrad
Now this one may confuse people a little bit. Lauren Conrad was a former MTV reality star, starring in Laguna Beach and The Hills. After her stint on TV, she went on to create numerous fashion lines and Little Market, an online fair trade shop that sells handmade products from women all around the world. She has worked hard to create her brand and has been an inspiration to me when it came to blogging again. Conrad also delivered one of my favorite lines ever, when an interviewer asked her, no doubt looking to throw her off and get a juicy tabloid answer, what her favorite position was and she responded with, "CEO".
What women in your life do you feel deserve to be celebrated and inspire you?