If a young child is asked who their role model is, they most likely pick someone from their family. I think it is better for young children to branch out and look up to people who aren’t directly related to them. Sure, family is important and the children are with them 24/7 but there are some great people out there who are making the world and society better for the future generations. I want to focus on some bada** women who young girls can look up to and tell their mother or teacher that they want to be like them. Exposing young girls to bright and intelligent women will make them strive to be as good or even better than them.
Here is my list of some great women who are fierce, smart, witty, and powerful.
1)Malalai Yousafzai –
A young woman fighting for the right to education for girls. She was shot by the Taliban for wanting to go to school. She instead used her tragic incident to do something good, she has been traveling around the world to empower young girls. She is the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. “The extremists are afraid of books and pens, the power of education frightens them. they are afraid of women.”
2)Zendaya –
The nation first saw her on a Disney Channel show called “Shake It Up!”, where she wooed the audience with her dance moves. Then, she co-produced “K.C. Undercover”, also on Disney Channel, where she plays the role of spy. One can see Zendaya as this beautiful, outspoken, and comedic person who will continue to preach self-confidence to those who look up to her. Most importantly, she does not put herself on a higher ladder, she is a normal person living her life. “I use my platform as a tool and a way to speak about greater change.”
3). Jazz Jennings –
She is the country’s youngest LGBTQ activist and a transgender person. She is known for fighting for the rights and equality for the people in the LGBTQ community. She is the co-founder of TransKids Purple Rainbow Foundation, where transgender youth receive help and raise money to help them. Also, she happens to be the youngest girl to speak about these issues publicly. “Change happens through understanding, and one of my biggest hopes is that our next generation of kids will grow up in a world with more compassion.”
4)Rowan Blanchard –
She is an intersectional feminist, who fights for people who are wronged by the government. She is known for her role as Riley in the Disney Channel show called “Girl Meets World”. She plays the role of an awkward middle school girl but in real life she is an openminded young girl who speaks about the importance of activism. ““I believe in my generation. I believe in girls. I believe in women. I believe in people of color. I believe in the LGBTQ+ community. I believe. I believe. I believe.”
5)Marley Dias –
An activist and feminist, who started the campaign called #1000BlackGirlBooks, in 2015, when she was just a 6th grader. She collected 1,000 books which had black girls as the main characters. She felt that girls of color were misrepresented in the books, thus creating her campaign. "I’m working to create a space where it feels easy to include and imagine black girls and make black girls like me the main characters of our lives."
Let’s encourage girls at a young age to challenge and push themselves to make the lives of their community members and society, as a whole better. Being silent about important issues and waiting for the next to step up will not bring change but set the world back. We must rise and speak up against the wrong of the world just like these power women.
