Take a look at these thirty empowering women from history and present-day that we can learn from.
1. Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was born on March 28, 1986, becoming a singer, songwriter, and actress.
In 2019, she became the first woman in history to win an Oscar, Grammy, Bafta, and Golden Globe in the same year
Inspirational Quote: “I promise you, if you put your mind to it and you work hard, and you never give up and you do not listen to the rejection. You can achieve anything that life throws your way”
2. Emma Watson
Emma was born on April 15th, 1990, and became an actress and activist. Today, she uses her platform for positive change to speak up for the equal rights of men and women.
Inspirational Quote: “ I have realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has got to stop. For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.”
3. Carla Harris
Carla Harris was born on 28th October 1962 and became a public speaker. She was appointed by President Obama as Chairman of the National Women’s Business Council.
Inspirational Quote: “It is always worth taking the risk.”
4. Madonna
Madonna was born on April 16th, 1958, becoming a music artist, soon to be known as The Queen of Pop, and winning Woman of the Year in 2016.
Inspirational Quote: “As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth, and each other’s worth. Seek strong women to befriend, align yourself with, to learn from. To be inspired by.”
5. Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka was born on July 18, 1982, and became India’s highest-paid actress and also won the Miss World 2000 pageant.
Inspirational Quote: “Find your strength and don’t let anyone tell you that your dream is small, it’s super scary. But perception is reality. People will believe what you make them believe, so you need to believe who you wanna be.”
6. Sarah Jakes-Roberts
Sarah is an author, businesswoman, and public speaker, born July 17th, 1988, and founder of the Woman Evolve movement.
Inspirational Quote: “There comes a point where you decide that these scars can work against me, or they can work for me. And I have decided that my scars are seeds.”
7. Shonda Rhimes
Shonda was born on January 13th, 1970, becoming a screenwriter and producer, best known for creating the incredibly successful television series Greys Anatomy.
Inspirational Quote: “Remember that you belong in any room that you enter. And if you don’t feel like you truly belong, then act as you belong.”
8. Michelle Obama
Michelle was born on January 17th, 1964, serving as the First Lady of the United States between 2009 and 2017, also becoming an author and American attorney.
Inspirational Quote: “When you are struggling, and you start thinking about giving up. I want you to remember the power of hope. The belief that something better is always possible if you’re willing to work for it and fight for it.”
9. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah was born on January 29th, 1954, becoming a popular talk show host, and philanthropist. She is also CEO of the production company, Harpo Productions, as well as the founder of The Oprah Magazine.
Inspirational Quote: “People may not remember your every word. They may not remember all of your actions but they certainly remember how your words and your actions made them feel.”
10. Rihanna
Robyn Fenty was born on 20th February 1988 and became a successful singer and founder of the beauty range Fenty beauty.
Inspirational Quote: “Be fearless every day, and when you don’t feel like it, just pretend girl. That’s it.”
11. Taylor Swift
Taylor was born on the 13th of December, 1989, becoming a talented songwriter and music artist, becoming one of the most successful music artists of all time, having won eleven grammy awards.
Inspirational Quote: “We live in a world where anyone has the right to say anything they want about you at any time. But just remember that you have the right to prove them wrong.”
12. Kate Bowler
Kate was born June 16th, 1980, becoming an academic and writer.
Inspirational Quote: “Life is like a boomerang. If you’re good, then good things will always come back to you.”
13. Muniba Mazari
Muniba was born on 3rd march, 1987, and became a Pakistani activist. She was appointed as the first National Ambassador for UN Women in her country.
Inspirational Quote: “You know what makes you perfect? When you make someone smile.”
14. Taraji P. Henson
Taraji was born September 11th, 1970, became an actress and was awarded an honorary doctorate.
Inspirational Quote: “If you allow people to project their fears onto you, you won’t live.”
15. Reece Witherspoon
Reece was born on 22nd March 1976 and became an actress and producer, ranking as one of the world’s highest-paid actresses.
Inspirational Quote: “I believe that ambition is not a dirty word. It’s just believing in yourself and your abilities.”
16. Blake Lively
Blake was born on 25th August 1987 becoming an American Actress, and becoming an activist, speaking out on child abuse.
Inspirational Quote: “The most beautiful thing that you can wear is confidence.”
17. Diana, Princess Of Wales
Diana was born on July 1st, 1961, and became a member of the British Royal Family when she married Prince Charles III.
Her activism and beauty led to her becoming an internationally loved icon until she sadly passed away in 1997.
Inspirational Quote: “Only do what your heart tells you”
18. Florence Nightingale
Florence was born in May 1820 and became a social reformer. She served as a trainer of nurses through the Crimean war, founding modern nursing.
Inspirational Quote: “Let us never consider ourselves finished nurses, we must be learning all of our lives”
19. Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline was born July 15th, 1958, becoming a political activist and the organizer of the Suffragette movement, helping women to fight for the right to vote.
Inspirational Quote: “I would rather be a rebel than a slave.”
20. Marie Curie
Marie was born in 1867, on the 7th of November, becoming a Physicist and Chemist. She conducted ground-breaking research on radioactivity.
Inspirational Quote: “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted with something and that this thing must be attained.”
21. Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel was born in 1883 on the 19th of August and is best known for being a world-famous fashion designer, her brand is still loved in the present day.
Inspirational Quote: ”A girl should be two things – classy and fabulous.”
22. Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn was born June 1st, 1926 becoming an actress and famous sex symbol in the 1950s and 60s. She was admired for the way she constantly tried to make her life fulfilling.
Inspirational Quote: “Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall back together.”
23. Kamala Harris
Kamala was born 20th October 1964 and became an American politician. She is the first African-American and the first woman to hold the title of Vice president.
Inspirational Quote: “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last.”
24. Ariana Grande
Ariana was born on June 26th, 1993, and became an actress and later a singer.
She has made a huge impact on society, one reason being that her Manchester concert was bombed in 2017, heartbreakingly leaving 22 people dead.
Ariana used this tragic event to spread love and hope around the world.
Inspirational Quote: “We should inspire others to feel comfortable in their own skin, and embrace themselves. It is okay to feel confident and be you.”
25. Selena Gomez
Selena was born on the 22nd of July 1992 becoming an actress, singer, and producer. She is the fifth most followed person on Instagram in the world
Inspirational Quote: ”No matter what people perceive of me, I always shine through at the end of the day”
26. Anne Frank
Anne Frank was born on June 12th, 1929. She became a famous diarist for writing about her life in hiding during the Nazi holocaust.
Inspirational Quote: “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death.”
27. Greta Thunberg
Greta was only born in January 2003 but she has become an international icon and environmental activist.
Inspirational Quote: “We can’t save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change – and it has to start today.”
28. Malala Yousafzai
Malala became an Education Activist, born on the 12th of July 1997. Having since become the world’s youngest Noble Peace Prize winner.
Inspirational Quote: “We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”
29. Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana was born on the 17th of March 1962. She became an astronaut and mechanical engineer. She was the first Indian woman to go into space.
Inspirational Quote: ”The journey matters as much as the goal.”
30. Serena Williams
Serena was born on the 26th of September 1981, considered one of the best female tennis players in history.
Inspirational Quote: “You can achieve anything with discipline, determination, hard work, and self-belief.”
What Teenage Girls Can Take Away From These Women?
There is a common theme among all of these empowered, successful women – follow your dreams, be yourself, and don’t give up!
If there is one thing that you should take away from this article, it is that you already have the power inside of you to end up on a list like this one, one day. Let that sink in.
