5 LADIES I CAN RELATE TO…

When they talk about great women, they are talking about the likes of Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton and the rest. People are like these should be your role models, these people should be the ones you look up to and so many other things they say.

Is it just me? Cause sometimes I feel like these people are too way up, like they’re so far away from my generation, like I don’t see myself in them. I’m not gonna lie. Most times when I see or hear people talk about them, I’m like “Yeah, they’re changing the world. That’s amazing” but when they say, you gotta be like them, act like them, I don’t just see it.

So today, I’ve decided to mention 5 ladies who are just like us, who we can relate to on a certain level, who we can see ourselves being, that are changing the world right now in their greatest ways. Now these people, I can definitely say that I want to be like because we’re in the same age, same generation and they’re doing these things so why can’t I?

• ZENDAYA COLEMAN (23)

Do you know Zendaya? You don’t know Zendaya? That’s not possible because everybody knows Zendaya including my unborn kids. Zendaya is not just an actress but a model and a singer and oh, a dancer and so much more. At 16, she joined the board of Disney’s executives and demanded that all the members of her family on her show, K.C Undercover must be black. She has her own shoeline, Sole of Daya. In 2015, Guiliana Rancic made a comment about Zendaya’s dreadlocks which she wore on the Oscar’s red carpet, saying it looked like they smell of weed and patchouli to which Zendaya responded with a thoughtful tweet which wasn’t only about sticking up for herself but also fighting against stereotypes that perpetuate racism.

That isn’t the last time that she stood up for black women. At Beautycon, she said “I am Hollywood’s, I guess you could say, acceptable version of a black girl and that needs to change. We’re vastly too beautiful and too interesting for me to be the only representation of that. What I’m saying is that- it’s about creating those opportunities. Sometimes you have to create those paths and that’s with anything; Hollywood, art, whatever”. Isn’t that just cute? I STAN!

• MARSAI MARTIN (15)

Marsai is Hollywood’s first 14-years old to both produce and star in her first major movie “Little”. She started her own film production company called Genius Productions. She made 2020 Forbes 30 under 30 list. She hosted a writer’s brunch for creators of colour. She partnered with Essilor of America to highlight the importance of vision care for changing needs of kids eye health. She, alongside Yara Shahidi are pushing for natural hair movement for black women.

• YARA SHAHIDI (20)

This Half American half Iranian lady is shaking the status quo. She appeared at 2015 NAACP panel on Hollywood diversity. She and the UN founded”Yara’s Club”; an online intiative to mentor high school students. She started Eighteen×18, to encourage young people to vote and even had a voting party for her 18th birthday. She’s given talks at summits and panels with Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama who later wrote a recommendation letter for Yara to Harvard. She also participated in Michelle Obama’s Let Girls Learn Initiative. In 2017, Oprah Winfrey called her one of the “most profound 17-year olds alive”. She is one of Glamour’s 2019 Women of the year. She is also one of the young celebs most known for using their platforms to spread word on feminism, anti-racism and so many more.

• AMANDLA STENBERG (21)

Amandla is known for being very loud on thoughts about sexuality and feminism. She did a super soul session with Oprah Winfrey and obliged with a meditation on beauty standards called “My Authenticity is My Activism”. Beyonce summoned her to film scenes in Lemonade and told her, “When Blue grows up, I want her to be just like you”. Ms. Foundation named her it’s “Feminist Celebrity of 2015” and Time magazine named her, “Most Influential Teen” twice.

And lastly,

• YOU (your age)

Yes, you reading this. All you great ladies who have been doing little things that are changing the world in little ways. All of you writing petitions, signing them, raising awareness on major issues, using your platforms for good, you’re all amazing and if you’re a guy, please pass it on to your sisters and girl friends. I just want to appreciate you all because you might not know it but you’re also changing the world.

Now, these are people I can definitely relate to. I’m a great person and so are you. If you believe you’re a great person, comment down below saying your name and “I am great”. Let’s know all the great ladies out there!