Today is International Women’s Day 2022 and we are celebrating the achievements of women who are doing great things to create a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. One that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together they are showing that we can forge women's equality and that collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
I’ve chosen to focus my blog post’s today on women who are really making changes in the following areas:
Women and Sport
Women’s Empowerment &
Women Forging Change
Some of these amazing women that are not afraid to stand up and make their message heard fall into more than one of these categories.
Women’s Empowerment
For me personally there’s one person who is always a fantastic example of this. Someone who always builds women up, always supports them, always says the right thing, is always humble and will always speak out for causes she believes in e.g. campaigning for equality for women and the LGBTQIA community – Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga
She constantly speaks out about mental health; including hers, sexual abuse as a survivor herself and how important it is that women speak out and have a voice in Hollywood.
Lady Gaga is an inspiring woman. She is a vocal humanist. And most importantly, she empowers others. She’s more than just a feminist; she speaks against oppression of all forms and fights for everyone who’s ever faced self-doubt.
Check out this article “Lady Gaga - The Feminist We Should All Aspire To Be”:
Back in 2015 she spoke about how hard it was being a female artist in the industry and how important it was for her to speak out about it and that despite all her amazing achievements in music it was still very much a man’s world.
To read more go to:
Some of her most famous quotes around equality include:
“They say this country is equal, but it's not equal if it's sometimes.”
“Modern social issues are real, they are serious and the laws that confine them having an overarching effect on humanity.”
Check out the “10 Most Powerful Things Lady Gaga Has Said About Equality”:
Some of her most famous quotes around empowerment include:
"You have to be unique, and different, and shine in your own way."
"Don't you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can't be exactly who you are."
"Some women choose to follow men, and some women choose to follow their dreams. If you're wondering which way to go, remember that your career will never wake up and tell you that it doesn't love you anymore."
"Fight and push harder for what you believe in, you'd be surprised, you are much stronger than you think."
She’s also written some amazing songs that embody empowerment like:
Born This Way
Edge Of Glory
Million Reasons
Dope
Check out the best Lady Gaga quotes:
Lady Gaga is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and 12 time Grammy Winner! She also has sold 36 million albums, has 60 billion streams and 393 million song consumptions in her career since she started in 2005. Here are a list of her most impressive Guinness World Records:
She also has a successful clothing and perfume line and also owns Haus Labs. Lady Gaga also set up her Born This Way Foundation, a charity in 2015 that raised over $12 million between 2015 and 2019. The foundation supports the mental health of young people and works with them to build a kinder and braver world. You can check out the foundation here:
Madonna
Another female in the music industry who has always spoken out about equality throughout her long career is Madonna. Back in 2016 The Guardian published an article about her called “Madonna was right: there are rules if you are a girl”.
When accepting her "Billboard Woman Of The Year Award" Madonna gave an amazing speech about what it’s like to be a female musician and how much she’s had to fight during her career to be heard. In part of her speech she said:
“There are no rules – if you’re a boy. There are rules if you’re a girl.
Those rules are as follows:
If you’re a girl, you have to play the game. You’re allowed to be pretty and cute and sexy. But don’t act too smart. Don’t have an opinion that’s out of line with the status quo. You are allowed to be objectified by men and dress like a slut, but don’t own your sluttiness. And do not, I repeat do not, share your own sexual fantasies with the world. Be what men want you to be, but more importantly, be what women feel comfortable with you being around other men. And finally, do not age. Because to age is a sin. You will be criticised and vilified and definitely not played on the radio.”
To read the whole article go to:
Over the years she’s made some very empowering statements around equality and empowerment including:
“A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.”
“I am because we are. We all bleed the same colour. We all want to love and be loved.”
“I think you can be defiant and rebellious and still be strong and positive.”
“I’m tough, I’m ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.”
“To be brave is to love someone unconditionally, without expecting anything in return. To just give. That takes courage, because we don’t want to fall on our faces or leave ourselves open to hurt.”
“I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams.”
“I have the same goal I’ve had ever since I was a girl. I want to rule the world.”
To check out the rest of her most famous quotes head to:
Madonna also has an impressive list of achievement including 7 Grammy Awards, her tours are some of the highest grossing of all time, she's sold well over 300 million albums, she is No 6 on the Billboard Number 1's Chart with 12 number ones in her career. You can check out some of her other achievements and streaming figures here:
She also has her own foundation - the "Ray of Light Foundation" that supports organisations all around the world to working to promote peace, equal rights and education for all. You can learn more about the foundation here:
I think both Lady Gaga and Madonna both belong in the two categories of Women’s Empowerment and Women Forging Change and who are fighting constantly to #BreakTheBias.
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