When you hear the names Beyoncé, Jennifer Lawrence and Shailene Woodley do you think feminist leaders?
I hope not.
There seems to be some confusion on who is a good “feminist role model” and we look to celebrities to fill that need. But they never asked for that responsibility, and there are other women who are better versed on the subject.
The following women are accomplished and educated on the subject on feminism, and are better qualified to be the role models of budding feminists.
Zainab Salbi
Salbi is an author, women’s rights activist, humanitarian and founder of Women for Women International. Salbi has helped reach more than 300,000 women in conflict areas. She is currently focusing her efforts on giving a voice to Arab and Muslim women. “As women, we must speak out, speak up, say no to our inheritance of loss and yes to a future of women-led dialogue about women's rights and value.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Adichie is a Nigerian author and lecturer and has recently gained fame for a portion of her lecture being featured in Beyonce’s song “Flawless.” In the lecture, Adichie eloquently defines feminism as a person that believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. “We raise girls to see each other as competitors, not for jobs or for accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing, but for the attention of men. We teach girls that they can not be sexual beings in the way boys are.”
Betty Friedan
Friedan was an American writer, activist and feminist and was a leading figure in the women’s movement in the U.S. She died in 2006. Friedan founded the National Organization for Women, which advocated for the legal equality of men and women. She also founded the National Abortion Rights Action League. “The feminist revolution had to be fought because women quite simply were stopped at a state of evolution far short of their human capacity.”
"Feminism or Vandalism?" by mbf2012, used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
"Feminism or Vandalism?" by mbf2012, used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
"Feminism or Vandalism?" by mbf2012, used under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
