I admire so many people, and as a girl in a world that seems to be run by men, I find solace in the powerful women I see in the media and explained in my history classes. I find so much inspiration in the women who persevere and get stuff done. This is a small list, but an important one; it is filled with the women who have inspired me to be who I am today.
Eleanor Roosevelt has been a woman I have looked up to my entire life. As a young girl I remember sitting in my old playroom reading a book about her; I still remember what the cover looked like and everything. She was a woman who could’ve been hidden behind the man in her life. She could have done nothing but sit idly by and watch her husband as the president, but instead she ran the country with him. While FDR was getting sicker, she stood taller, making her voice heard throughout the world. She stood up for human rights as well as women’s rights and was the first chair of the Presidential Commission of the Status on Women for JFK. Her talent in everything she did stood out above the rest, and showed me as a little girl, and as I have gotten older, that you don’t have to be overshadowed by a man — even if he is the President.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is new to my list of inspiring women. Last year I took Criminal Law and we had to do projects on Supreme Court justices. Sadly, I didn’t have RBG as my justice, but after hearing the persons paper who did, I was immediately intrigued by the strength in this woman. She is a woman who, like Eleanor Roosevelt, stood up for women all over the country. No matter if you agree with the things she stood up for or not, you can see how inspiring this woman is. She went to law school when she was already married and had her daughter Jane; putting Jane first in everything she could. She never hesitated to do something hard if she was passionate about it — or at least it doesn’t seem that way. RBG was only the second woman on the Supreme Court and that alone made me immediately inspired by her. In a world completely dominated by men, she made her talents known. Everyday she inspires me to be who I want to be, and stand up for what I believe in, no matter the push back.
My last and final woman is very different from these other two: Lady Gaga. If you have been around me, especially in this past week, you know I love Lady Gaga. She is obviously an amazing singer, not only that, but she also seems like a genuinely intelligent and savvy person. She is able to break through the stigma that I feel is put on female artists to not talk about certain things, and she does it with grace. She followed her dream, and gained her following through inspiration. She makes her audience feel okay to be themselves — she allows you to let loose. She may not be a lawmaker or standing up for our rights in the way Eleanor Roosevelt or Ruth Bader Ginsburg have, but she’s speaking her voice in a way that reaches more and more people everyday. She inspired me to not give up what I want, and to speak about anything without fear of disapproval.
Although this seemed to be a short list, it was just a few of the women I look up to. There are many other women, famous and not, that I look up to everyday to inspire me in different areas. Girl power is real, and I try to let it lift me up as much as it can.
Inspired by Anna Quindlen and Scott Recker
Photo: http://az616578.vo.msecnd.net/files/2016/05/23/6359956478650512341214305443_Odyssey%20-%20Girl%20Power.jpg
3rd and Broadway 