5 Female Heroes Who Show Us That Individuality Rules
As any Beyonce fan knows, girls run the world.
Keep doing you.
As any Beyonce fan worth their salt knows, girls run the world. Read on as we celebrate five legendary ladies who have changed the world for the better by unashamedly sticking to their guns and embracing their individuality.
By being true to themselves, these women empower others to honour who they are and inspire our community on the whole to welcome diversity. Seeing these fierce females express their uniqueness without apologies encourages us all to walk taller and live freely.
Baddie Winkle
A walking rainbow, Ms Winkle is a 89-year-old Instagram star and fashion icon. Women are frequently told to grow old gracefully and to dress for their age – Baddie is living proof that these adages are outdated, irrelevant and ready to be permanently thrown in the bin.
Her photos highlight how much fun she has going against norms and unashamedly walking her own path. Baddie always has a grin on her face that is so contagious you can’t help but smile yourself – or have the sudden urge to purchase a diamante catsuit.
Carly Findlay
Findlay is a writer, public speaker, teacher and activist who has recently joined the Melbourne Fringe team as Inclusion Coordinator. You may have seen her on ABC’s You Can’t Ask That discussing facial difference and disability. She also blogs about fashion and has created a Facebook group devoted to downsizing wardrobes, encouraging women to ‘shop their own wardrobe’ to counter consumerism and waste.
Findlay is an advocate for self-acceptance and celebration of non-traditional appearances and is a true role model for anyone doubting themselves. She’s currently writing her memoir, Say Hello, which will be out mid-year. What a legend.
Sia
Before she was the anonymous songstress with the oversized wig and a tiny dancing stage partner, Sia was killing it as a songwriter and pop star in her own right, and didn’t shy from a music video (her eye-catching clip for Buttons is a memorable, colourful ride). The Adelaide-born singer has always been an individual and swung to the beat of her own chandelier, as it were. Her songwriting is raw and emotionally-charged, and her strong personality is equally captivating.
These days she covers her face from the spotlight with impressive hairpieces and presumably strong neck muscles as a statement against fame and invasion of privacy but recently pushed back against paparazzi by tweeting an unclothed photo they were threatening to leak, rendering it worthless. What a badass!
Megan Jayne Crabbe (a.k.a. Body Posi Panda)
If you’re into pastel colours, self-love and contagious smiles – honestly who isn’t into any of those things? – you might already know Body Posi Panda. This author and Instagram personality is such a joyful unicorn it’s impossible to scroll through her Instagram and not feel uplifted by her individuality and zeal.
She has struggled with eating disorders and now uses her platform to celebrate diversity and champion for body acceptance, all while looking like a radiant ball of sunshine. Her ‘before and after’ photos aren’t the typical snaps you often see online as they don’t depict loss, but gains: health, happiness, purple hair.
Your mission for today is to watch her dancing videos and see how long it takes to feel the urge to leap out of your chair and have a boogie yourself. My record is seven seconds.
Megan Amram
If you haven’t heard the name Megan Amram then you don’t spend enough time either on the internet or reading the credits of popular sitcoms (perhaps consider adjusting your priorities). Amram is a phenomenally funny comedian, television writer and current custodian of the most magical brain award – just check out her tweets.
You’ve probably laughed at her jokes on Parks & Recreation or more recently The Good Place. Maybe you’ve read her parody book Science… For Her or watched the related YouTube clips. Amram lives and breathes her unique brand of offbeat humour and we are all better for it. Her playful and absurd style is some sort of joyful wizardry, and she inspires women to not only believe in their abilities and chase success, but to embrace the weirdness within.
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(Lead image: Baddie Winkle/Facebook)
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We’re all a little different. Keep doing you with Alt, soft drink done differently. Find out more here.