International Women’s Day (IWD) is coming and, of course, that means that now is the perfect time to consider the example of inspiring women throughout history and in today’s world. We’ve gathered together 6 of the most inspiring women we could think of, whose example not only changed the world in some way but also were the inspiration for our IWD catalogue of bouquets this year.
Here are the 6 inspiring women we have paid homage to:
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks is amazing not only because she was one of the greatest civil rights activists of the 20th Century, but she became an example of an ordinary person who stood up (or rather sat down) against institutional injustice. After being jailed in 1955 in Montgomery Alabama for refusing to move from her seat for a white passenger she lit the touchpaper on the Civil Rights Movement in the USA and the subsequent Montgomery Bus Boycott that helped to gradually remove the segregation laws at the time.
Doris Lessing
A celebrated contributor to the literary arts, Doris Lessing was a noted playwright, author and feminist campaigner. She was awarded many awards over the years, but most notably the Nobel Prize in 2007 at the age of 88, making her one of the oldest winners of the Literature category in history. She stands out as fantastic science fiction and realist fiction writer, with a tome of celebrated works such as The Grass is Singing and The Good Terrorist.
Amelia Earhart
A truly daring figure, going against many of the stereotypical views of women at the time. A keen aviator, she made headlines in the 1930s for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Her story is made all the more fascinating due to her sudden disappearance in 1939 over the Pacific Ocean.
Malala Yousafzai
Malala deserves to be on this list for many reasons being a noted scholar, speaker and symbol of the modern fight for women’s rights. She has faced a great deal of personal danger and adversity during her campaign to advocate for improved women’s education in her native Pakistan and around the world, most significantly being shot in the head by a Taliban assailant in 2012. She however has not backed down despite this and continues to speak publicly about women’s rights to this day.
Frida Kahlo
Known for her very personal style of art and painting, Frida Kahlo has become an inspiration to women around the world. Due to her flouting of conventions expected of women of her time and for her very candid and expressive works (including her numerous famous self portraits) which focused heavily on the subjects of personal identity and struggle. Today, she is considered a figure of national cultural heritage by her native Mexico and a hero by the feminist and LGBTQ community.
Serena Williams
She is now the second most successful Women’s Tennis Champion of all time in terms of grand slams (at time of writing she is only 1 away from equalling the record of Margaret Court) and is rightly seen as a testament to the success of hard work and perseverance. Serena Williams comes from relatively humble beginnings and has overcome adversity, injury, racism and other challenges (such as winning Wimbledon whilst in the early stages of pregnancy) to become the best female Tennis player in the world at this moment.
The women we’ve chosen to highlight today are just a few of the truly inspiring examples that can be found throughout history and many great women fell just short of making this list. Do you think we missed anyone important? Who will you be celebrating on International Women’s Day? Be sure to tell us in the comments.
If you want to inspire a similarly amazing woman in your life this International Women’s Day, choose from one of our catalogue of bouquets named after inspiring women who’ve helped to strengthen women’s rights and advance the cause of women in society. Send a powerful message of admiration on March 8th with one of our selection.
