Why is it that history has long impeded the equality of women? (Also, why is International Women’s Day only once a year instead of every Tuesday and Thursday?) For starters, they’re smarter than us. Better looking too. And they always seem to beat us at Scrabble. Yet, believe it or not, last year the US ranked a lousy 30th on the list of most gender-equal countries in the world.
We can do better.
Of course, the perfect jumping-off point is to celebrate the women in our lives. Not just today but every day (and twice on Sundays). However, seeing as it’s International Women’s Day, let us widen our scope just a little to spotlight eight brilliant women from around the world who are undeniably phenomenal.
From founders to scientists to social justice advocates, the women on this list of movers and shakers inspire us to be better human beings. Period. They effortlessly raise the bar on grace, wisdom, and courage all the while redefining what it means to be badass.
While you may recognize a few of these lionhearted ladies, most of them are not household names. But for the work they do and the legacies they will one day leave behind, they deserve far more recognition. So today on International Women’s Day (and every day), let us doff our hats to all the great women who make this world a better place. Starting now.
Cover Photo: Anna Malaika Tubbs
International Womens Day 2022
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Cara Oppenheimer & Cary Fortin - America
Just when you thought Amazon had completed taking over the retail world, here comes Cara and Cary with a new way to shop. Their creation is goodbuy, the web browser extension that connects shoppers with over 183,000 small businesses totaling a whopping 18 million products. Businesses are organized in a way that lets you the shopper support the communities you want while getting the things you need. It may not sound like a gamechanger at first, but reshaping the manner we consume will pay dividends in ways we cannot wait to see.
Photo: goodbuy
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Bohdana Vavrynchuk - Ukraine
Bohdana Vavrynchuk is not famous. Nor does she have a bunch of followers on Twitter. Last month, she was just a normal woman on the verge of 30 making life plans when she found a war on her doorstep. But that's what makes her so extraordinary. With life as she knew it now over, Vavrynchuk forfeited her chance to flee a warzone and instead stayed to defend her country from a foreign invasion. But Vavrynchuk isn't alone. She represents a growing number of Ukrainian women staying put to defend their homes from Putin's savage assault. And the courage of their convictions is breathtaking.
Photo: YouTube
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Anna Malaika Tubbs - America
Behind every great man is a great woman. Kinda sexist, no? How about this: Above every great citizen stands a mother. Anna Malaika Tubbs makes this point with resonant clarity in her book The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation. Her ability to expand the current limits of history is a gateway to a more balanced narrative moving forward, one we very much welcome.
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Jane Campion - New Zealand
The New Zealand native has been a master filmmaker for three decades. But her recent Academy Award-nominated film The Power of the Dog proves she still has her finger on the pulse. As the dangers wrought of fragile male egos constantly threaten to upend peace in the world, Campion illustrates that trauma is a generational plague that once examined and dealt with, ceases to spread. A lesson, that if taken to heart, would radically alter the course of humanity.
Photo: Samir Hussein (Getty Images)
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Xiao Meli - China
To be a feminist at any point in history is no easy feat. But to be one in the midst of modern China's sweeping nationalist reforms is an awe-inspiring act of bravery. Xiao Meli has been a vocal proponent of women's rights in her home country for the past ten years and made international headlines in 2021 after she sued Weibo for getting banned during a misogyny-fueled purge. Sadly, with China's massive internet cleansing ahead of the Beijing Olympics, Meli's digital presence has all but vanished. But even in the face of tyranny, we continue to spread her message of hope, "Let us be the tiny heartbeats of change."
Photo: Simon Song/South China Morning Post (Getty Images)
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Greta Thunberg - Sweden
Voted TIME magazine's "Person of the Year" in 2019, Great Thunberg is no stranger to international acclaim. But her tireless quest for a better planet deserves continued recognition. Just last week Thunberg pointed out that ending Europe's dependence on Russian fossil fuels would not only be an environmental victory but a resounding kink in Putin's largest revenue stream. At only 19, the young lady is full of bright ideas. And we have no doubt she's just getting started.
Photo: Christopher Furlong (Getty Images)
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Julie Rikelman - America
Remember when we said the US is currently ranked 30th in global gender equality? Well, Draconian laws rolling back protections for women's reproductive rights certainly ain't gonna help our standings. Luckily, there are people like Julie Rikelman leading the charge to protect American civil liberties. Rikelman is Senior Director at the Center for Reproductive Rights and recently argued the most important abortion rights case this century before the Supreme Court. Incredibly, the future of Roe v. Wade may very well rest in Rikelman's capable hands.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla (Getty Images)
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Rajaa Cherkaoui El Moursli - Morocco
The Higgs-Boson particle was once just a theory, mythically called the "God Particle" because of its connection to all fundamental matter in the universe. For 50 years, everyone said it was impossible to find. Well, you know who helped find it? Nuclear physicist Rajaa Cherkaoui El Moursli, the woman who smashed photons in order to observe Higgs particles in action. If your mind isn't blown at the genius of this feat, just try figuring out the basis of all quantum states and let us know how long of a nap you need afterward.
Photo: YouTube
