Our world has taken numerous steps in the right direction regarding women’s rights and overall gender equality. Growing up in a time where women can be anything from leaders and performers to landowners or entrepreneur is a blessing that a lot of young women take for granted.  Everyday I try to remind myself and my friends about how lucky we are to live in a world that’s moving in the right direction. 

Through the news, we see citizens coming together to provide support for whatever it is that they believe in: women’s rights, the Black Lives Matter Movement, Stop Asian Hate, etc. But what the media platforms that most people get their information from don’t show is how celebrities are spreading information.

Since TikTok has blown up in the past couple of years, trends come and go quite quickly for today’s teens; the main trend that I find on my for you page is young adults talking about things that other people might judge them for. 

An example of this is a young woman, @itsgretawilson, who touched on wearing heels even though she is already tall. At the end of the TikTok, Greta showed model Kendall Jenner, who is five feet, ten inches tall, wearing heels to multiple different events. While Greta doesn’t have millions of followers or a one-way-ticket to fame, she uses her platform to showcase an example of inspirational women saying it’s ok to be yourself.

Gabbie Gonzalez is another prime example of a young woman who uses her social media platform to broadcast positivity to the public. For quite some time now, Gabbie has been under the eyes of the masses and thus far has only been promoting good vibes. 

Just a couple of years ago, the now 20-year-old gave birth to a baby girl; since welcoming her daughter Lavender into the world, she has made her Instagram about their adventures together.

While living in Hawaii, Gabbie and her daughter get to experience endless hours of surfing, skateboarding, swimming, and spending time with their friends. While their life may appear perfect online, Gabbie has spoken out a few times on how hard it can be to be a single mom at such a young age, but she made sure to make it clear that she wouldn’t have her life any other way.

While not every young woman decides to be a teen mom, from Gabbie, we can learn all about how important it is to enjoy the small things in life even when we have a lot on our plate. Life can feel like a chore, but we should try to be grateful for every small adventure handed to us.

Just like Gabbie, actress Florence Pugh has brought forth nothing but a smile, only showing her iconic frown on the silver screen. While 2021 has been a busy year for the 25-year-old superstar, she still finds time to make her social media posts about how happy and eccentric her life truly is. 

One of the many things that young women idolize in Florence is her authentic posts and blunt honesty. Throughout Florence’s Instagram you can find multiple posts of her showing embarrassing moments captured on her phone; every single one has her signature goofy side completely out there for everyone to see.

Not everyone feels comfortable being completely themselves in a public setting. Florence is the perfect example of how important it is to showcase who you really are; real friends will like you for who you are. While this might make some people cringe, Florence teaches young women to be comfortable in their own skin.

Alongside success, during the past year, we have seen so much pain and suffering surface to our news channels and newspapers—someone that didn’t stay quiet through all of the protests and changes was Zendaya. Since a young age, Zendaya has grown in the spotlight through shows like Disney Channel’s Shake It Up to one of her newest shows, HBO Max’s Euphoria. Zendaya is used to having her Instagram viewed by millions on a daily basis and knew she had to speak up when she saw the chance.

Zendaya’s Instagram has a highlight just for BLM resources where you can find anything from informational posts about how to help in your community to videos from peaceful protests that she attended. While she didn’t force information down her followers’ throats, she did do everything in her power to give a guiding hand in what she saw as the right direction.

In 2021, it’s easy to hide behind a screen and spread hateful, non educational posts; Zendaya appears to see these negative views as something she doesn’t want a part of—Zendaya wants to spread hope and knowledge on every subject. Zendaya stands up for what she believes in.

At the end of the day, we are who we are; we’re all beautiful souls, and we are not our bodies. Insecurities find their way into our minds and penetrate our thoughts, but we don’t have to listen. Every once in awhile it’s nice to see women whom we idolize speaking up and standing for the things that they believe in. When we can’t find strength in ourselves, we can seek it out in others.