A Brief History
On October 9, 2012, Malala Yousafzai boarded her school bus in northwest Pakistan. A gunman asked for Malala by name, then pointed a Colt 45 at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit the left side of Malala’s forehead, traveled under her skin the length of her face and then penetrated her shoulder. In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in England for intensive rehabilitation. She went on to win Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize and the Sakharov Prize for 2013.
Digging Deeper
Role models are important so that one has examples how one can act in certain situations in life.
Throughout history women were often not seen as important. In fact, the friezes at Baldwin-Wallace College that depict great civilizations and great men neglect to represent any women; women are neither shown nor acknowledged. College is a time when students try to figure out what they believe in and what direction they should take in life. As a female student, the author of this article showcases recent and contemporary women she feels had good attitudes or led lives or had accomplishments that are worthy of celebration. For her they are role models, and in the following lists she explains why they are admirable and how they inspire her.
10. Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; 1915 – 1959)
Holiday is known as the “First Lady of the Blues.” She is widely considered to be one of the most impressive and expressive jazz singers of all time. Although she died aged only 44 in 1959, many of her records are still sold today.
In her own words, “You can’t copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you’re working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it’s got to be that way in music or it isn’t music.” This quotation shows that she meant business, and when she made it big, it was because of her own efforts, despite being born poor.
9. Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1926 – 1962)
She does not have the best reputation because of the mistakes she made and because she was primarily famous for her looks and affairs. She even acknowledged this herself by saying, “I am good, but not an angel. I do sin, but I am not the devil. I am just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love.” She may have had a couple mishaps along the way, but she was honest and very real.
8. Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 1929 – 1993)
An actress during Hollywood’s Golden Age, Hepburn defined beauty and grace. She was one of the best actresses of her time and was later voted the most beautiful woman of the twentieth century. After retiring, she devoted the rest of her life to her tireless humanitarian work and efforts with UNICEF and is quoted as saying, “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’.”
7. Billie Jean King (born 1943 – )
King played tennis and won 67 professional tiles. “Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility,” could also be a description of King’s fierce and collected and calm sides. She now employs these traits in the pursuit of equal rights for gays and lesbians and has battled for equal pay for women.
6. Oprah Winfrey (1954 – )
Oprah is the first woman to own a talk show, and her book club is also successful. Not just being a woman but also an African American made it especially hard for her, but she persevered. “Turn your wounds into wisdom” are words to live by. They obviously helped Oprah defy the odds.
5. Madonna Louise Ciccone (1958 – )
With over 250-million records sold, Madonna is the most successful female artist of all time. She herself describes her personality best with, “I’m tough, I’m ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay”. Though she may not be the most talented performer in all that she does, her incredible self-confidence and determination to get what she wants put her on top of the others.
4. Princess Diana (1961 – 1997)
Loved by millions who watched her grow into her role as a royal, Princess Diana did make mistakes, but these only made her more human to the rest of us. Generous, kind and loving is how she was perceived, and she gave a lot back through her humanitarian work. Empathetic and compassionate, she knew that, “everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back if only they had the chance.”
3. J.K. Rowling (1965 – )
As a single mother barely making ends meet, J.K. Rowling started writing her first best-selling novel on a napkin. Now she is a self-made woman. “There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place” definitely benefitted her.
2. Tegla Laroupe (1973 – )
As a runner, Tegla Laroupe held the marathon record and won many awards. She now promotes peace, education and woman rights in her native country of Kenya. Her statement, “In a country where only men are encouraged, one must be one’s own inspiration” is empowering.
1. Malala Yousafzai (1997 – )
Malala Yousafzai defied the Taliban in her efforts to get an education. She ended up being shot in the head but survived. Rather than let that destroy her, she is now known globally for woman’s rights in terms of equal education. “All I want is an education, and I am afraid of no one” shows her determination and fearlessness.
Although many of them are not conventional role models, in the opinion of the author, all of these women deserve a place on friezes in the halls of college campuses so that female students have someone they might be able to relate to to look up to and to learn from. Question for students (and subscribers): Who do you think are great, inspirational women of the modern time and why? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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For another interesting event that happened on October 9, please see the History and Headlines article: “October 9, 1992: UFO Crushes Chevy Malibu (The Peekskill Meteorite).”
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please read…
Harness, Cheryl. Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women. HarperCollins, 2003.
Huston, Anjelica and John Miller. Legends: Women Who Have Changed the World Through the Eyes of Great Women Writers. New World Library, 2001.
Slater, Elinor and Robert Slater. Great Jewish Women. Jonathan David Publishers, 2015.
Successories. Great Quotes from Great Women (Great Quotes Series). New Page Books, 1997.
Swaggart, Jimmy. Great Women of the Bible Old Testament. World Evangelism Press, 2013.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="3477 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=3477">8 Comments
Wow… a list of inspiring women and they’re all either entertainers or athletes.
How about some scientists to inspire our daughters? Or doctors? Or national or regional leaders?
Heck… why do we have to limit it to women? Why can’t we be impressed with inspirational people?
/feelingnitpickytoday
Dear Annoyed Elephant, Please be kind. This list was compiled by one of Professor Zarzeczny’s female students. It is a subjective and based off of her own experiences thus far. To the article’s continued defense, I will also say I didn’t know of the last two women, and I liked the student’s reasoning for including the others; she recognizes their flaws of some of them but still appreciates their strengths – very insightful for a young person. As the student stated in the text, she feels her college does not celebrate the achievements of women as much as those of men. That is why she dedicated this list to women. As a women who herself has long since graduated and has experienced more of life than the student, I can understand the need and importance for role models for the younger crowd, especially now more than ever. Thank you for your response; it’s always nice to see readers again. We’ll consider your suggestions for future projects. – Beth Michaels, Editor and Writer for Cracked History
I’m being fairly kind. Normally, I’d be really annoyed…
1. She has a limited range of knowledge and experience. I can grant her some leeway there. Still… I’d prefer to see some scientists like Sally Ride, Jennifer Wiseman. Heck, I’d take some theologians and thinkers like Joni Erickson Tada or Edith Schaeffer.
2. Part of the reason her college may not focus on women much is simple: women have not been in many business leadership positions for long because we’re in a transitional phase in our society. In 20 years, the picture will be reversed because, frankly, there’s too much emphasis on getting women into college and leadership positions and, as a result, men are avoiding college and leadership training.
A few more women as role models, in no particular order and far from inclusive: Eleanor Roosevelt, Adm. Grace Hopper, Hypatia, Benazir Bhutto, Caroline Herschel, Marie Curie, Hatshepsut, Madame C.J. Walker, Sybil Ludington, and Jacqueline Cochran.
I have never really understood why Marilyn Monroe is a “role model” for so many young girls and women. I can understand that her honesty/genuiness/”realness” is an admirable trait but I believe there are plenty of other people who display this trait as well as ones that do not involve promiscuity. I think we should start idolizing people that make a significant and positive contribution to the world and not idolizing attractive people just because we believe they are nice to look at.
If I had to pick, I’d say Oprah is the most inspirational.
An inspirational leader in our modern time for women I believe would be Hilary Clinton, she will inspire the girls of today to reach for their dreams. Womens rights and roles have change so many times over the milliniums from ruling Egypt to Rome, Great Britain that it’s a shame more colleges don’t focus on those accomplishments more
I feel that there are many inspirational women in this world today that do so much for others. The first person that comes to mind is Ellen Degeneres. Although everyone knows who she is, they may not know what she does. Every single episode of her show brings me to tears because of her immense amount of generosity. She has changed thousands of lives just by bringing people onto her show. Another woman that everyone knows is Taylor Swift. I’m not saying this because I am a die hard Taylor fan, but rather as an observer of her actions. She has inspired so many girls and has changed the music business. Something incredible that Taylor Swift does is every Christmas, she picks hundreds of her fans to send personalized presents to and lets them know that she is thinking of them. I don’t really hear of any other celebrities doing that…