There are lots of badass women in this world, but definitely not enough. In a society where politics and business are dominated by men, here are five women, in and out of the United States, who are breaking barriers and setting new standards.
1. Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan
Queen Rania of Jordan is the intelligent, effective woman we all should aspire to be like. As Jordan is one of the only thoroughly stable and modern predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, Queen Rania and her husband are tasked with walking the line between preserving their country’s global relevance without antagonizing their (sometimes) powerful but unstable neighbors. Queen Rania has advocated for eliminating the compulsory wearing of the Islamic veil for women, stating that it should be a personal statement of faith and not a requirement. She works actively to empower young people through education, especially girls. She has utilized social media to change the misunderstandings between many Western societies and the Islamic world. She actively challenges Jordan and other countries to open a larger dialogue on the changing realities of Islam in the modern world, as well as to foster positive relationships with Islam and other religions of the world. In addition to being a complete international badass, Queen Rania is also consistently ranked as "The World's Most Beautiful First Lady.”
2. Parisa Tabriz
3. Niloofar Rahmani
At only 23, Niloofar has smashed convention and has showed women around the world that the terror of the Taliban will always be thwarted by the women who refuse to take “no.” She fulfilled her lifelong dream of joining the Afghan Air Force, despite the almost insurmountable odds stacked against women in the unstable Middle Eastern country. Advancing quickly through flight school, she eventually began to fly military cargo aircrafts. Despite being inundated with death threats from the Taliban, Niloofar still endeavors to fly aircrafts and defy her country’s backwards ways. She has expressed interest in coming to the United States as a flight instructor to motivate young women and improve knowledge about the complicated situation in Afghanistan.
4. Aung San Suu Kyi
Burmese political and activist Suu Kyi has made incredible personal sacrifices in order to advocate for democracy in Burma. Living in London for much of her young adult life, Suu Kyi returned to Burma to aid her mother and then to lead the pro-democracy movement. Her family in London was repeatedly denied travel visas to visit, hoping to dissuade Suu Kyi. She remained in Burma on house arrest, hesitant to leave and risk not being allowed to reenter, even after learning of her husband’s terminal cancer diagnosis. Effectively giving up her family in order to aid the larger goal of democracy in her country, she made the ultimate sacrifice. She was released from house arrest in 2010 after more than 15 years, and now is president of the National League for Democracy party in Myanmar (referred to less frequently now as Burma).
5. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Affectionately referred to as “The Notorious RBG” by her supporters, this 82-year old Supreme Court justice has been politely dissenting since 1993. Known for giving firm-handed replies to women's and civil rights issues, Ginsburg has resonated particularly well with young, college-aged adults. Standing at just 5 foot 1, she is famous for giving scathing and honest dissents to many cases, such as Shelby County v. Holder, which struck down much of the Voting Rights Act. Facing pressure from the left to step down so that a Democratic president could appoint a younger judge before a Republican could appoint a judge when she vacates, she continues to plug away in the Supreme Court. Everyone’s favorite Jewish grandma is the badass we want to be - opinionated, successful, and unapologetic.
These five women, whether you've heard of them are not, are actively making our world a better place. If that's not badassery at work, I don't know what is.
