Lately there has been an onslaught of badass female athletes in the limelight, these women blaze the way for females everywhere, turning toughness, strength and grit into attributes women strive to achieve as words used to describe them. I’m talking the Ronda Rousey’s, the Alex Morgan’s, the Lauren Fischer’s, the Jennie Finch’s. The women who are more than just pretty faces, and sculpted with statuesque precision, they’re intelligent, driven, and up front about their desire to be the best. These women are attributing to the empowerment of women everywhere through their daily examples. They have made being strong, muscular, and powerful a part of femininity, they have stepped into the arena that is professional athletics, and made it a place for women to be recognized.

In the event you’ve been living under a rock, without social media, or don’t have a single friend who finds the Ultimate Fighter entertaining, take this moment to pause reading this article, and Google “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. Some of the taglines you might see are “brash”, “bitchy”, “cocky”, etc. But look past those and really look into who she is, what she stands for, and the resilience that she embodies. Ronda Rousey is the poster girl for female empowerment that we have so desperately been in need of. When she was the best, she repeatedly stated “I’m the best”. She is confident in her abilities, and carries herself like a champion. She’s beautiful, funny, and strong as hell. And when she lost she was raw, and unapologetically devastated. She didn’t recant on her previous statements that she was the best, instead she said she was going to show that one loss will not define her. Many people were put off by her blatant statements about her greatness, but when you’re the best what’s wrong with telling people you’re the best? Rousey recently was quoted in an interview saying “Listen, just because my body was developed for something other than f*cking millionaires, doesn’t mean it’s masculine. I think it’s femininely badass as f*ck because there’s not a single muscle on body that isn’t for a purpose, because I’m not a do nothin’ bitch. In one colorfully worded comment she tossed out every negative opinion about women’s bodies that aren’t curvaceous, but are instead cut with marble Greek god-like stature. Women who put in hours at the gym, on the track, on the mat, to make sure every muscle they have is at it’s peak power, to do what needs to be done.

Speaking of hours spent in a gym, and a body looking like it was carved from marble, there is 22 year old Lauren Fisher, the female winner of this year’s 2016 southern California Crossfit regional competition. One half of the pair of elite cross fitting Fisher siblings (arguably the prettier of the two, but Garrett does have some fierce cheekbones). Lauren Fisher has biceps that some of my male friends are envious of (rightfully so as she can do 50 pull-ups unbroken), she can sprint a 400 meter dash in a little over a minute, and manages to do all of this in her signature messy ponytail and beaming smile. When first gained her crossfit notoriety, countless athletes (male and female) claimed her as their woman crush, wife goals, and fitspiration. None of these people talked about her body being manly, they talked about how strong she was, and how she was able to smile through the suck that is a crossfit workout. When she was sponsored by Nike, and became a Nike athlete, she wasn’t put in provocative or sexual poses, instead her ad campaign was her throwing around obscenely heavy objects like it was child’s play, displaying near perfect form, and strength (props to Nike for that). She is woman hear her roar, not watch her lay sexually on a floor in workout gear without actually working out. Speaking of roaring and powerful women; Alex Morgan is one of the captains of the Orlando Pride (get it, their mascot is a lion), and a member of the U.S. Women’s soccer team. That team alone is a perfect example of girl power, and building up your fellow females and teammates in order to make sure everyone is the best version of themselves that they can be. They filed an action against U.S. Soccer demanding equal pay (for arguably better international performance), showing women that asking for what they deserve isn’t something that should be approached tentatively, but done with confidence in their abilities. Alex Morgan is repeatedly praised for her beauty (which let’s be real is undeniable, she is flawless), but recently at an Orlando Pride game I saw countless young boys wearing Morgan jerseys. It’s not uncommon for women to wear the jersey’s of their favorite football player, or athlete, but until recently it’s been taboo for a man to wear a woman’s jersey. Alex Morgan commands such respect for her soccer skills that she has shattered the gender barrier, she has made it inconsequential for boys to want to emulate her prowess on the field, because they are just mind blowingly agile, and precise. Alex Morgan has gained fame because she is one of the many important and powerful cogs in a powerhouse machine, and she embraces the sisterhood, on and off the field. She builds up her fellow teammates, and that is a quality all women should mirror. Build up the women also striving for excellence, compliment them for their beauty, their strength and their intelligence. Let them know their worth, and push them to be better.

Another woman like that is Jennie Finch. The softball afficianado has been proving again and again that female athletes can compete with (and best) male athletes. In a study done to test the difficulty between hitting a softball and hitting a baseball researchers tested the force at which the baseball and softball had upon arrival at home plate. The 95 mph pitch from the baseball player generated 2,411 pounds of force, Jennie Finch’s pitch broke the strike force plate. The plate took 2,411 pounds of force, and then broke under the impact of Jennie Finch.

In an All-Star game Jennie struck out Annaheim Angel’s player (and arguably one of the best hitters of his generation) Albert Pujols. She didn’t just strike him out, she caused the seasoned hitter to whif multiple pitches, and was even quoted afterwards saying he never wanted to experience that again. Finch is a badass in her own right because she’s an Olympic athlete, she’s been a national champ, an Olympic runner up, and an Olympic gold medalist. What makes her above average in her ability to empower women is that time and time again she proves that she can play with the boys, and she commands respect when she is on the mound, despite who the person standing at home plate is. She also exemplifies that women can be both successful in an athletic sense, and also have thriving families. Many times women are criticized for giving up the ability to be “good mothers” while pursuing their dreams, but Jennie Finch has it all. Unparalleled athletic talent, and a beautiful family.

The reason these women deserve to be heralded, isn’t just because they are badasses, but because they set an example for girls and women everywhere. That being great isn’t something you should pursue meekly, instead wear your greatness like a cape, like neon lights that say “I am unapologetically awesome”. Women should be able to talk about, post about, tweet about their greatness and be seen as confident, not cocky. As long as you aren’t tearing someone else down in an effort to build yourself up (Ronda just says she’s going to beat people, that’s another talk for another day), you should be proud of yourself for your accomplishments. Whether that accomplishment occurs in the classroom, in the gym, on the court, on the field, on the mat, in the office, at home, let your accomplishments be celebrated. Celebrate yourself and the things that make you feel empowered. Join these women in paving the way for future generations of women to be unapologetically great in whatever they pursue.