Today, August 26, is Women’s Equality Day in the United States. This holiday honors the addition of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting equal voting opportunities to all sexes. While the amendment was passed on June 4, 1919, the ratification of the amendment was not certified until August 26 of that year. Today’s holiday marks 102 years of women’s suffrage in the U.S.!
Gen Z is arguably one of the most vocal and influential generations of women, in part due to their widespread use of social media as a platform for empowerment. Gen Z is not afraid to voice their opinions about the social issues that are important to them, including women’s rights, abortion rights, and many more. There’s no better day than today, then, to shout out the women who inspire Gen Z daily. Below, five Her Campus community members share the women in their lives who they admire.
“There are so many women in my life that I admire, like my mom and sister, my female teachers, my bosses, my therapist, and my favorite authors and cycling instructors — all people who have shaped me into the woman I am today. The one woman in particular that comes to mind when thinking about Women’s Equality Day, though, is Amanda Gorman.
Ever since listening to her on January 20, 2021 as she read her poem ‘The Hill We Climb’ at the presidential inauguration, Gorman is someone I’ve looked up to. She’s my age exactly, but has already accomplished so much by using her words and creativity for the greater good, which is something I strive to do too! She wrote her poem as an inaugural address to our entire country; however, all women in the US have had to climb so many hills just to get to where we are today — and we still seem to be moving backwards most of the time. I admire Gorman for who she is as a person and changemaker, but also for her powerful voice and words. She uses both as tools to help unify women everywhere, and to help us all reach the top of the hills we climb.” — Rylie, 22, Loyola Marymount University
“I admire my mom because she is kind to everyone no matter the situation and she inspires me to be more understanding of others. I feel lucky to have such a strong female role model in my life.” — Sara, 18, Fordham University
“Selena Gomez teaches women to be authentically themselves. She never tried to hide her battle with Lupus or mental health issues. Because of that, I admire her for her transparency and vulnerability. Selena has also used her platform to spread women’s empowerment, such as her Puma campaign ‘Strong Girl’ and her speaking out on abortion rights. I think we need more celebrity figures like Selena who are being a voice for women and inequalities. From her Disney days in my childhood to now, I have always been and will always be a fan of her.” — Hannah, 20, Florida State University
“The woman I admire the most is without a doubt my mom. She has shown me what it means to be a strong, successful woman, and constantly supports my goals even though they differ from the ones she had at my age. Also, she just left her job to start her own business at 53, and has met great success so far — I admire her for continuing to work so hard and taking on new challenges. I also admire my sister very much — she has been my role model throughout my life, and I would not be nearly as happy as I am without her.” — Abby, 20, University of Waterloo
“I admire Yara Shahidi as she has done so much in her life. Acting on shows like Black-ish and Grown-ish has had an impact on the way society views a family of color and young adults of color, as well as her accomplishment of graduating from Harvard while filming these shows. Her ability to reach her life goals while still being so young is inspiring because we are similar in age. I can tell that she is going to continue to shine on and off the screen, and I will continue to admire her hard work and dedication as well as her amazing style!” — Makaila, Full Sail University
Who is a woman in your life that you admire? We all owe it to those who fought for women’s suffrage rights more than a century ago to do our part by participating in our democracy in any way possible. Get involved with your local community, vote in small-scale elections, and never be afraid to let your opinions be heard. Happy Women’s Equality Day to our community members, our readers, and everyone else who fights to protect and support these rights.