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The Year of the Woman

By Ambikaa Jaggi & Cindy Kim

From actresses to activists, award winners and ambassadors.

In recent times, we experienced  feminism at its best. Take Mary Wollstonecraft, who was one of the first women to advocate the idea that women were portrayed as less intelligent than men due to their lack of access to education. Similarly, Susan B. Anthony was one of the founders of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association during the women’s rights movement in the United States. Let us not forget Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister in Great Britain. However, the list does not stop there.

 

According to a poll conducted by Time Magazine, “feminist” was the fifth word that could quite possibly be banned from use in 2015, because of the newly developed connotations of feminism as merely being a superficial label over a social stance symbolic for change and advocacy of female rights, which is why many feel it is now irrelevant.

 

Yet even in this world where issues are neglected, filed away under the word “feminism”, there are a few individuals who have not lost the spirit of advocacy, and  remind us of the necessity for change and equality.

 

  • Malala Yousafzai: Seventeen year old Malala is the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize due to her exceptional work for the endorsement of female education under Taliban rule in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district of Northwest Pakistan. What started as blogging anonymously for the BBC about her life as a schoolgirl under the Taliban led to death threats and a shootout on her school bus that left her in a coma. Yet even after such turmoil, she came back stronger than ever, becoming an idol for girls not only locally but also internationally.

 

  • Federica Mogherini: She came from being Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, to becoming the second female to serve as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the European Union. This position allows her to become chairperson of the European Union Institute for Security Studies, President of the Foreign Affairs Council and representative of the EU in international conferences. Federica Mogherini has been an inspiration for all females who aspire to obtain positions previously held only by men.

 

  • Angelina Jolie: Angelina Jolie, the famous Hollywood actress, has been hailed as a feminist hero ever since she gave her speech pertaining to her decision to undergo a double masectomy to reduce her chances of developing breast cancer. Her essay – which isn’t just about her own experiences, but rather about all women – encouraged women to take action and to seek medical help when necessary. Angelina Jolie’s independence and strength shines through her work as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees; it is simply impossible for one to not marvel at her choices as a powerful feminist.

 

  • Samantha Power: As an academic, writer, and diplomat currently serving as the United States Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power is one of the most influential women in this century. She is not only known for her work with President Obama, but also for her focus on LGBT and women’s rights. She has met the two members of the Russian band ‘Pussy Riot’ – who were jailed for mocking their president, Vladimir Putin – and praised the members as “brave troublemakers,” “a group of girls who speak up & speak for human rights.”

 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federica_Mogherini

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malala_Yousafzai#As_a_BBC_blogger

http://time.com/3576870/worst-words-poll-2014/

-http://mic.com/articles/41729/5-reasons-angelina-jolie-is-a-feminist-hero

-http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/greatest-feminists-all-time#slide-14

-http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samantha_Power

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