Girls, Girls,Girls! On Female Role Models

So, it's no secret: Girls Rock! We've all known since, what, second grade? But sometimes it seems like this idea is muddled by society, by everyone's expectations of girls. Society tends to judge girls, and boys, by their looks, but humanity really depends on what's inside. This can be easy to forget, and so many girls get caught up in their exteriors and how other perceive them that they forget about the inside, and that is just too bad. That's why I think it's important to have role models, and why this post is dedicated to awesome girls who rock! 

What Makes a Role Model? 

      So, what makes a role model? Hint: not the looks. It's fine if you think someone's hair is awesome, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the rest of them is awesome and Awesome Hair Girl should therefore be your hero. We place too much importance on looks, we need to focus on the inside. Role models can be valued for a number of characteristics, like intellect, badass-ness, creativity, determination, selflessness, bravery, originality, kindness, or vision, to name a few. Please note: "beauty" is not on the list! 

Choosing Role Models

Do you need a hero? Great! Here's how to pick one: 

1. Write down a list of traits that you admire in people and that you aspire to have in yourself. 
2. Now, think about people you know, or know of, who may embody these traits. Search far and wide, don't just limit yourself to celebrities or famous scientists. Your role models could be your English teacher, or that awesome cool girl in your art class, or your lab partner who is ridiculously smart. They can also be people from the internet, like the writer of your favorite blog. 
3. Okay, once you have a list of people whose personalities correspond with the list of traits from earlier, you've got role models! Now comes the most interesting part. Now that you know who and what you admire, you can use that knowledge to model yourself after this person or trait (hence the term role model). For example, let's say you admire Lady Gaga for her fearless originality. You can try to emulate that by expressing yourself freely through your preferred medium, just as she does with her clothes, music, and persona. Role models are like guiding stars, they keep you on the path to being the best you while celebrating and encouraging you on. 

My Role Models

Just to give you some ideas, here are some of my own role models. 

• Gala Darling - She writes a wonderful blog, and her self-acceptance messages are so wonderful and empowering. She is also so in touch with who she is, and I really admire that. 
• Ellen Page - I love her as the cool, quirky girl, and her career as a whole is really inspiring. 
• My mom - Because she is selfless, kind, and caring in ways that I really doubt I can be. 
• Lady Gaga - Fearless originality, and the empowering message of her song "Born This Way". She is one cool Lady. 

More to See

To help you along in the search and emulation process with your role models, I suggest reading up on people that you admire, even if it's just their Wikipedia page. 

Happy Role Model Hunting!