Honoring the historic and ongoing struggle for women’s rights, International Women’s Day celebrates the long strides made in the realm of gender equality and promotes awareness of the issues that still plague women today.
Every time this meaningful day rolls around, we naturally conjure up images of the admirable pioneers who first started the campaign for gender equality so long ago, but the truth is, the picket signs have changed many hands over the generations and there are heroines among us today, still fighting their fight. On this International Women’s day, we offer you a list of some of today’s most inspiring female role models who continue to impact the modern world:
Hilary Clinton
Whether you agreed with her platform or voted against her, Hilary Clinton was the first female US presidential candidate since 1872 and the only female candidate to have been nominated by a major party. She may not have claimed the presidency or appealed to every American, but she forged the path to the oval office for women and told young girls all across the country that no dream is too big to chase when you’re wearing a pantsuit.
Sheryl Sandberg
Her professional success as COO of Facebook and the first female on the company’s board are enough to set her apart as an inspirational figure, but she didn’t stop there. Recognizing the need for women to stop being afraid to embrace their strengths in a world that encourages them to stay in their place, Sheryl founded the non-profit, Lean In, and authored a book by the same name. Both empower women to be bold, brave and ambitious without worrying how others will interpret their strength.
Ellen Degeneres
This last one proves you don’t need to be a political figure or a corporate success to shake things up. Ellen Degeneres impacts the world every day by simply being her genuine, caring self. Though her show, Ellen inspires her ever-growing audience to be kind and generous, continuously demonstrating the remarkable act of giving to people in need. Proudly quirky and a diehard fan of free-style dance, Ellen urges her audience to embrace the things that make them “different,” and to respect those traits in others. The first woman in the industry to publicly come out as gay, she broke down seemingly impenetrable barriers, admirably handled the inevitable backlash and served as a lifeline to individuals around the world who felt isolated and alone. This November, her efforts were loudly acknowledged when President Obama handed her the Medal of Freedom.
Sara Wolf and Daniella Teutsch
As co-founders of HydroChic, these women have created a successful line of swim and activewear for women who seek more coverage as well as sun protection. It all started when they noticed a trend at beaches and pools – women were wearing oversized t-shirts and shorts over their bathing suits to protect themselves from the sun or to cover up more. That’s when Sara and Daniella were inspired to create HydroChic, which offers fashionable swim and activewear separates with a
variety of coverage options for missy and plus sizes.
Women’s equality means a lot to us at HyrdoChic, where we’ve been challenging the “swimwear status quo” in order to provide women with more options and allow them to feel safe, comfortable and at ease. These strong women inspire us to keep pushing those boundaries until we’re satisfied.
