Being a woman is hard enough as it is, so why do we make it more complicated by bashing one another or wasting our time with jealousy? It doesn’t help that we live in a male dominated society where women in power is the exception, not the rule. We’re made to feel like every female is someone we have to be in competition with. Any negative feelings you have towards her, may just be negative feelings you have about yourself. The “If they’re pretty/smart/cool/hardworking, then that means we aren’t” kind of mindset is a hard thing to shake, but it’s not impossible. Next time you meet a girl that you’re intimidated by, befriend her. Inspire each other. Shine together.
“Shine Theory,” coined by Ann Friedman at The Cut, is the idea of women supporting each other and that you shine when the ladies around you shine. It reinforces the importance of uplifting one another instead of tearing each other down. We want to share with you some women who are inspiring us to ~get our shine on~ and keep up the cycle of empowerment that we ladies really need in this patriarchal world.
Rupi Kaur | Feminist poet, spoken word artist, author
Rupi Kaur is destigmatizing the period, exposing our misogynistic society, and giving us her heart one poem and photo at a time. Check out her Instagram and TED talk for some serious girl power inspiration.
CL | Rapper, singer, songwriter, model
Chaelin Lee is not only killing the K-pop game with her four-member girl group 2NE1, but also her American debut with her song “Lifted.” She’s showing the world why she is “the baddest female.”
Issa Rae | Actress, writer, director, producer, web series creator
Issa Rae (read: black girl magic) is so immensely funny and she’s letting everybody know with her new show on HBO, Insecure—which she created, writes, and stars in.
Simone Biles | Olympic gymnast
How many people can call themselves the most decorated American gymnast at 19 years old? None! She’s just four feet and nine inches of greatness.
Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz | Editor-in-chief, princess
As the new editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia, Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz is an inspiring business savvy fashion personality who also happens to be royalty. In short, she’s #goals.
Michelle Obama | First Lady, lawyer, writer
Of course the First Lady of the United States was going to be on this list! She’s got style, class, power, and knows how to work it. She’s a fashion icon, role model, advocate, and mom.
Barbie Ferreira | Model, body-posi enthusiast
She doesn’t give a shit about what you think about her body and we’re loving it. The modeling and fashion industry typically isn’t one for body diversity, but that isn’t stopping her from tackling unrealistic body expectations one photoshoot at a time.
by Skyler Murry