Female Heroes

FEMALE HEROES

Throughout my teenage years, there have been particular female icons who've had a rather big influence on me, leaving an imprint upon both my life and the makings of who I am. Women I've come across that have inspired me in some way, struck a chord deep within me. Women I have strongly identified with, or who have made me feel like I belong in some kind of way, or who I aspire to be like. Who make me feel like somewhere across the world, is a person who is a leaving, breathing representation of something that is important to me, or on the converse, there was someone who once embodied something important to me. Finding people who you relate to in some way is quite a comforting notion, and I personally always find it makes me feel just that little bit more invincible than I did before. Just knowing that people like you, or people who embody something important to you, exist, is something I've always found does wonder for my inner happiness. Likewise it also inspires me to be myself, or strive to cultivate particular values or aspects within me, because other people are doing just that and absolutely killing it. Or it inspires me to be bolder, more adventurous, to dream without the limitations, to live the kind of life I want to lead and without restrictions. That kind of thing.

As I previously mentioned, there are particular female icons that provoke that special something within me. Icons that almost act like little markers upon my life, a stamp gathered along the way, a signpost appearing at certain avenues of my life to guide me as I proceed forwards, just like I suspect you have. People that resonate with you in some way, who make you want to fist pump the air when you hear their name, whose very existence is a reason for celebration, and probably always will do and be. Below I've collated an twelve point list of my own personal female heroes for you to peruse, along with a little explanation as to why they deserve hero status in my eyes, because I thought they deserved some recognition and gratitude. Us women are very skilled at bringing one another down. It's about time we celebrated the goodness and things we admire in one another instead, so with that, dear readers, it gives me immense pleasure to present to you my female heroes...

-All photographs are linked and accredited to their original source-

I JUST WANT TO PRAISE YOU...

001. TAVI GEVINSON

Tavi is the same age as me, and ever since I discovered her aged 13, when she attracted fame for dying her hair grey, I've always been somewhat dazzled and in awe of her. Until then I'd never really come across someone so proud to be who she was and so sure of herself too. Brave enough to push limits, make bold, proclaiming statements, go out there and take the world by storm. I'd never come across someone like Tavi, let alone someone my own age who was seemingly so different to anyone else I knew. Tavi was so unconventional, so individual, a go-getter, and within her I saw a lot of myself too. She made me realise that it's okay to do things a little differently, that there's another way to go about life that's just as amazing, if not better, that there were other people out there like me, that the world can be mine for the taking. In my younger teenage years, I always felt like I never fully identified with other girls my own age. I suspect it was because they were on that fast track to adulthood, whilst I was perfectly content enjoying my youth still, plus we had different values and ideas about what was important. But finding Tavi and her absolutely amazing Rookie empire was like finding exactly where I belonged. It was like breathing a sigh of pure relief and feeling complete and utter peace. For the first time ever I felt like I belonged, and I felt proud to be me, proud to be a girl, proud to be a teenager, and it was just incredible. Even now Tavi still inspires me, and still makes me feel like I'm not a lone, lost wildflower, but a wildflower rooted in a field of other wildflowers. Finding Tavi was one of the most important things to happen to me, and I don't even want to know who I would be now, had I not.

 

002. STEVIE NICKS

I've written (gushed) about how amazing Stevie is before, and once again I will proudly proclaim that to me, Stevie Nicks just is queen. In my eyes she is just incredible in every kind of way, and she's one of those people that I'm so happy is alive. Discovering Stevie for myself gave me such hope and relief. She's exactly the kind of woman that I aspire to be like. I call her a queen because I'm so flummoxed as to what other term could be as fitting. I love her creativity, her lyrical and musical expertise, the strength, power and prowess that she emits, her individuality and strong sense of self. I love how she's an avid supporter of girl power, demonstrating how we can be firecrackers blazing our paths upon the world, we can be a force to be reckoned with whilst simultaneously loving and supporting one another. I love how she's made her fair share of mistakes and can admit to every single one of them, likewise I admire how she's always picked herself up and made amends, fought back, never given up. I love her resilience, her wisdom, her insight, her artistry, her perspective on life, her honesty. Knowing that someone like Stevie is out there in the world right now, doing her thing, being the kind of person I want to be too, is a great comfort to me, and I hope that one day I will be just as kick ass as her. (And that one day I will meet her too #dreams, #punintended).

003. PATTI SMITH

I didn't know who Patti was till I randomly decided to read her hit book Just Kids one day, and my life seemingly changed forever. Another advocate of girl power, Patti is just a dream and I really do wish she was my best friend. I imagine I'd feel something beyond invincible, if she was. In Patti I see a lot of both myself in the present day, and a lot of who I want to be in the future. She's the perfect combination of the two, someone I resonate with so strongly, so discovering Patti was both a reassuring, inspiring relief, and also something of a guide as to what I can do to become even better. If I was to form a girl squad, Patti would be one of the key members. She's like the most fabulous force of nature. So strong yet so emotive and vulnerable, so creative, so inquisitive, so bold, so daring. The perfect contrast. I find her perception of the world so inspiring, she sees a beauty and honesty in it that I often see too, and I could sit and talk to her, or rather sit and have her talk to me, for an infinite number of hours. I just think she's fabulous, such a vivid inspiration.

004. TAYLOR SWIFT

Where do I even begin with Taylor? Aged 14 when I was looking to expand my musical horizons, and also secretly longing to find an artist that understood and could help me make sense of my hopeless teenage romanticism, I happened to hear Love Story on the radio. And with that, my world changed for the better, because through Love Story, I found Taylor Swift and her catalogue of beautiful music. To me, it was like finding the mouthpiece of my emotions. Taylor seemed to have felt every feeling I had felt, she seemed to perfectly understand and summarise the way I was feeling, in a way I just couldn't do for myself. Her musical style belonged to this exciting genre called Country, which till then I had never been exposed to, and she wrote so beautifully, accurately, honestly. Likewise Taylor herself was so positive, so kind hearted, so inspirational, a ray of sunshine and an anchor of hope within my life. Throughout my teenage years I would always, always turn to Taylor for guidance, reassurance and the musical equivalent of how I was feeling. It was almost like self-medicating with music, selecting the appropriate song depending on each crush or situation. I even decided to learn the guitar and tried to write my own songs too, just like Taylor. And as my relationship with love has progressed and matured, I still find that Taylor is the one artist I continually turn to and admire, and probably always will do.

005. BEYONCE

A female heroes list just wouldn't be right unless it had Beyonce on it. Beyonce is another queen in my life, just like Stevie Nicks, but even sassier and fierce, if that was even possible. I loved her when I was younger, with Crazy In Love naturally being an anthem of sorts. However throughout my teenage years, my fangirling went right through the roof. I've previously mentioned how I've always been resolutely single, and when I was a young, naive, awkward teenager, I used to feel so hung up about it. I always longed to feel empowered by my single status, not weighed down by it. Be that sassy independent woman who's happy on her own, not that sad, mopy, lonely girl hung up over boys. And with that, Beyonce became my inspiration. In my eyes, she was and still is the most perfect sassy, independent, empowered, fierce woman. The ultimate goal. And so I made it my aim to somehow leave awkward teenage me behind and embrace my inner Beyonce, wherever she may be hiding. Naturally becoming a sassy independent woman didn't happen till I actually reached adulthood and gained more experience and wisdom, but still, it happened. I became the person I always longed to be, and I still remember how glorious that realisation felt. Of course I still listen to Beyonce, whenever my sass levels dip, and recently I've really been into Destiny's Child too, so from now till forever more, all hail the sassy independent women, all hail indeed.

006. AUDREY HEPBURN

Audrey is someone who's magic and appeal I never really understood until I slowly began to discover her for myself, mostly through her quotes and photographs taken of her. I loved how wise and perceptive she seemed to be, and how she was such a natural beauty too. So graceful, so full of poise and elegance, so kind hearted, so caring. Her words inspired me to see the world differently, and her take on beauty inspired me to embrace who I am, and remember that beauty comes from within. However it was watching Audrey for the first time in 'A Roman Holiday'  when my adoration for her was truly cemented. Audrey was an absolute pinnacle, a glorious individual, someone so deserved of her. A true inspiration.

007. FRIDA KAHLO

I discovered Frida Kahlo though my A Level Art, and fell in love with her beautiful artwork and aesthetic. The colours, the flowers, the patterns, the infusion of Mexican culture, the hidden messages embedded within each painting. Her artistry has had a huge impact on my own artistry, and what inspires me as I draw. Likewise I greatly admire her courage, her bravery, her strength, her creativity, her legacy.

008. ADELE

I remember being utterly captivated by Adele when she sung 'Someone Like You' at the Brit Awards 2011. It rendered me speechless. Completely in awe. I've been lucky enough to see music live on many occasions, and yet it was watching Adele's live performance on TV that I first truly experienced that breathtaking awe and power of music. And ever since then I've remained somewhat in awe of Adele. I love the honesty and simplicity of her lyrics, as well as the emotion embedded within them. I love how she perfectly translates the ups and downs of life into musical form. I love her classic, elegant aesthetic, a nod to times gone by. I love the richness and power of her magnificent voice, which simply stuns people into silence as soon as she opens her mouth to sing. And on the converse, I love how down to earth Adele is. How she doesn't apologise for who she is, nor does she comply with the pressure to change who she is either. How as soon as the set finishes, a seemingly suppressed cackle is released, and a bubbly, buoyant, humble individual emerges with that trademark Cockney accent. How honest and real she is in interviews, almost as though she's an ordinary individual like you or me, not an insanely talented, worldwide superstar. It's like her stage presence is merely an intensified projection of who she really is. A persona seemingly cultivated by her music, almost like she feels the emotion and power so strongly within her,that it causes her to become someone else entirely. She's a modern day superstar, and I think she's bloody marvellous.

009. ALEXA CHUNG

Alexa is someone who I've always had a soft spot for, ever since way back in the day when one of my best friends used to point out the similarities between Alexa and myself. At the time I didn't really see it, and even now I still don't see how I could possibly compare to Alexa. She's just so cool and I most definitely am not. A lot of people diss Alexa but I've never understood why, and I feel like those who do diss her are definitely missing the point. I've always admired her unique, unapologetic, bold style, and the way she so effortlessly compiles the most perfect outfit combinations, with what I swear is a touch of magic. It always makes me want to be more creative and bolder with my own clothing choices. Likewise she's always been my hair inspiration, and I'd definitely be doing a Pinocchio if I said that I wasn't trying to channel Alexa when I gave myself a fringe this summer. Oh, and the fact that she dated my beloved Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys is also another reason why I love Alexa- she has a fantastic taste in men.

010. LORDE

Lorde is another headstrong, sassy, fierce hero of mine. Again she's the same age as me, and seeing someone my own age be so sure of herself, who she is, her abilities, her talents, is something I find so inspiring. What she's managed to achieve is just incredible. And people try and bring her down yet she rises so valiantly above it and won't let anyone or anything compromise who she is and what she wants to do. Her aesthetic, her power, her aura is so damn fierce. Likewise her music is so kick ass and so unique. If Lorde has a girl squad at all, I definitely want to be a part of it. 

011. JENNIFER SAUNDERS

I thought that Jennifer was an absolute legend in Shrek 2, back in ye olde days, and similarly I thought she was a pure comedy gem on Ab Fab too. She's a constant comedy firecracker, fizzling with witty one liners, punchy jokes and she has a sense of humour that's dryer than the Sahara Desert. I love it. Jennifer is such a smart, fabulous, strong woman who knows how to hold her own, and does so with such magnificent prowess and confidence. A lot of people assume that women can't be funny, or aren't anywhere near as funny as men, yet Jennifer is a blazing example of how wrong that presumption is. And if all that wasn't enough, she beat cancer too, and fought it so courageously and valiantly. What a truly amazing woman.

012. BRIDGET JONES

I know Bridget is fictional, but oh my god you don't understand how much comfort I seek in Bridget Jones these days. The older I get, the more I seem to relate to Bridget and the more I seem to become her. Out of all these amazing female heroes I've listed, Bridget is my biggest female hero of all, because she gives me hope that people like me, big clumsy idiots that we are, will find a happy ending one day, and reminds me that I'm not alone. There are (hopefully) other people out there doing a big of a Bridget in their own lives too, or at least I bloody hope so!