Okay yes so I was meant to finish this yesterday in celebration of International Women’s Day but give me a break plz I was too busy playing footy and fighting the patriarchy.. x
I am lucky enough to be constantly inspired by women around me – from the team I work with at Boomtown to the incredibly supportive creative community I am part of in in Bristol, my amazing football team Banana FC and beyond…
Unfortunately though, sometimes that inspiration and empowerment can come to a halt when I head to my Instagram feed and am greeted with a sea of airbrushed Instagram models selling detox teas or promoting Fyre Festival (side note, if you haven’t watched the Fyre documentary yet then you really need to!)
I’ve been working to change what I see online every day into a more diverse, body positive and empowering place… somewhere not just full of people happy in themselves but also keen to promote that energy in the wider world!
- Positive Influencers!
So here’s a seleccy of incredible women doing just that. Some I’ve been admiring from afar, some I am proud to call my mates, but all of whom are enacting positive change in some way, from feminist activists to sustainability campaigners… I highly recommend following them all and filling your feed with positive stories and confidence boosting advice.
Gina Martin
Me and the rest of the world at the moment are sliiiightly obsessed with this woman. I discovered her profile a few months ago and was pulled in by her artistic uniquely styled feed but I stayed for her badass political activism.
Gina Martin On Why It Is Essential That We Question Commonly-Held Notions Of What It Means To Be A Woman –Vogue
At a festival in 2017 somebody took a photo up Gina’s skirt. She reported it to the police and they did nothing about it… why would they? It wasn’t illegal. Just a couple of month’s ago, after years of work, she got ‘The Voyeurism Bill’ passed so what happened to her is now an illegal offence. Basically she’s incredibly brave and an inspiration to stop brushing off sexism whatever form it takes… She’s also hilarious and a great story teller – I can’t wait to see what she does next!
Follow her for beautiful visuals, a laugh and feminist hope & positivity.
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Chidera Eggerue
Chidera or ‘The Slumflower’, is a self love advocate, writer and public speaker. I first came across her on twitter when she was pioneering the #SAGGYBOOBSMATTER movement.
I have no time for anything/one/where that makes me doubt how extraordinary I am.
Chidera Eggerue
We’re currently reading her refreshing and bestselling book ‘What a Time to Be Alone – a guide to why you are already enough’ in book club.
Follow her for daily doses of wisdom and to be inspired by her confidence!
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Alex Reynolds
Travel blogger and photographer, Alex aka Lost with Purpose, is a breath of fresh air in a feed populated by influencers in front of traveller hotspots posing for carbon copy photographs in front of monuments or in bikinis on white beaches . Alex tends to visit areas that are totally off the beaten traveller track and sometimes tricky for women to visit. She documents her full time travel around the world on her Instagram and blog.
What I like most about her posts is the theme of ‘responsible travel’; continual self reflections on the way she travels and interacts with places she visits and tips for other travellers which I’ve found really valuable and interesting.
“How not to travel like an arsehole” – Lost with Purpose
Follow her for incredible photography, an insight into other cultures and inspiration for solo travel.
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Florence Given
This chick is bloody great – I came across her after I shared one of her striking illustrations and then she informed me that I gave her glitter eyebrows at Love Saves the Day a few years ago??!
Purveyor of giving no fucks and the ‘dump him’ movement, Florence is an artist and social issue advocate with an incredible amount of confidence – she’s only 20 and is absolutely killing it. She made the brave move to leave her fashion degree last year and pursue her own path – what I really admire about her is her constant openness to learning and the inclusiveness of her feminism.
Follow her for sassy illustrations and great dance moves.
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Becky Young
My pal Becky is a real badass – she runs the platform ‘Anti Diet Riot Club‘, which is fighting back against diet culture and spreading a message of self love and body acceptance. It has only been going for just over a year but she already runs workshops and events all over the country and has been featured everywhere from Grazia to the BBC!
She is a strong voice in the online body positivity community, something I’ve been following since I discovered The Militant Baker’s Blog about 7 years ago… keep an eye on her platforms for what she’s going to be launching sooon!
Follow her for body positivity and an array of badass females.
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Tolmeia Gregory
You might remember me mentioning this lady in a previous blog post when I was wearing one of her lovely tees… But you’ll probably be surprised to hear I’ve been a fan of Tolly’s blog Tolly Dolly Posh for 5 years or so now – a long time considering she’s only 18! She started her blog when she was 11.. since then it has come on quite a journey and now is a hub for sustainable and ethical fashion.
It hosts an ethical fashion directory, discusses global policy and has so many easy tips on how to dress more sustainably. I really admire what she’s doing with her platform and the intelligent way that she is spreading the message and sharing the issues.
Follow her for tips and news and easy ways to dress more sustainably as well as a solid sprinkling of GIFs.
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Ngaio Anyia
My friend and former colleague Ngaio is a powerhouse of a woman… she’s a singer, songwriter, spoken word poet, DJ, promoter, writer, marketing expert, journalist, dancer, event producer AND inclusion officer (as well as probably about 8 more things I’ve missed off this)… what can’t she do?
She’s just been awarded a bursary to go to Lagos Theatre Festival as a blogger, is featured on Concrete Jungyals IWD charity compilation aaand is working towards releasing a fashion line soon – she’s the definition of a polymath and I am here for it!!
Follow for her sultry vocals and colourful style.
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Antonia May
As well her day job working for amazing homeless charity Caring in Bristol – my friend (and fellow Banana FC footy champion) Antonia, runs an event series call Sex Talks. Sex Talks provides “INCLUSIVE, EDUCATIONAL and importantly, EMPOWERING discussions, workshops and interactive sessions about sex, sexual wellbeing, identity, preference, lifestyle, culture and SO MUCH MORE.” A vital space for discussions about something that can still be so taboo.
Follow Sex Talks for frank, open, inclusive and FUN chat about sex.
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Yazzie Min
Yazzie is a poet, coach and facilitator who does a lot of anti-racism work. I only discovered her page and movement, ‘Stand For Humanity,’ last week when an instagram story of hers went viral. In it she breaks down the concept of ‘White Saviours’ with a backdrop of the Stacey Dooley / Comic Relief controversy – it was explained so clearly and engagingly, I found it super helpful so went on to her page and discovered she covers more similar topics on her posts and in her poetry.
I’m grateful for the work she does and the resources she has created, you should definitely check them out.
Follow for poetry & to be educated!
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And that’s all folks… how many times is too many times to use the word badass in one post?!
I’d love to hear your suggestions of more females (badass females) to follow – I’d love to widen my cyber circle!! & Happy IWD xx
Love this! You’d be on my list darrrrl XOXOX