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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CMU chapter.

2014 is the year of the horse, the raise, and the female. Already a month into the New Year, and female empowerment is sweeping the media, encouraging everyone from young girls to elder ladies to embrace “being woman.”  Femininity is the newest trend, and these plans to bring it to the forefront will inspire you to be the best woman you can be.

  1. “Bing” TV Commercial

Windows recapped its “Year in Review” to Sarah Bareilles’s “Brave,” a song with a title that speaks for itself. This commercial features politicians, activists and public figures who have stamped their impact on society in 2013 by standing up, speaking up, and inspiring all of us with the extension of their humanity. The commercial encourages us all, as Gabrielle Giffords states, to “Be bold. Be courageous” and take on 2014 with the same bravery and perseverance as our 2013 role models.

Check it out again here: http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7f2c/bing-heroic-women-song-by-sara-bareilles

  1. #ReadWomen2014

If you have already picked out this year’s reading list, check out the ratio between how many authors are men vs. women. In order to challenge male dominance in the literary industry, this proposal encourages every reader to go out of his or her way to read more books written by a female author. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

The Starboard Sea The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont

The Stormchasers by Emma Blum

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

  1. Aerie Untouched

Body image is always a hot topic, and any approach to inspire girls to view themselves with confidence is a step in the right direction. Aerie is going against the grain of fashion ads by promising that none of their images will be photoshopped, airbrushed or altered in any way for the Spring 2014 campaign “Aerie Real”. Featuring unretouched models in the newest underwear apparel promotes that we are who we are, and girls should not be ashamed of their scars or curves, but embrace them.

These initiatives push femininity forward, and I can’t wait to see all that 2014 has to offer for us women.

Hello! I am a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University studying creative and professional writing. So far, Pittsburgh has been an adventure, and as a Philadelphia native, I love to explore new cities. I also enjoy reading (anything from Cosmo to the best seller on the New York Time's list), shopping and drinking coffee (they're more of an addiction) and spending time with my friends and family. In a few years, I hope to be in a European city working on an award winning screenplay, but grad-school would be fine too.
I am a junior Materials Science and Engineering mjaor at Carnegie Mellon University, and I am also minoring in Professional Writing and Business. I am a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  I love TV and trying out new beauty products.  I follow E! on Twitter so that I can stay up-to-date on celebrity news.  I'm royal-obsessed, and I love Kate Middleton's style.  I'm kind of a Sephora addict, and I could easily spend hours there.  I also spend way too much time on Pinterest.  Finally, I love hockey and all Pittsburgh sports.