Many of us have been inspired by something in the media or pop culture before. Whether it’s a fictional character, actor/actress, singer, influencer, etc. Sometimes, certain aspects of these icons can shape our personalities. In honor of Women’s History Month, I will be talking about a couple female pop culture figures who have shaped me to be the person I am today and how they taught me to embrace my phenomenal, inner woman.
As a big fangirl of The Hunger Games since third grade, it’s no surprise that the one and only Katniss Everdeen is on this list. From an early age I’ve seen her as an icon, the one who stood up against the capital and fought for a better world. This series changed my life and I made it my personality for about 4 years. She taught me to always fight for what I believe in and to fight for what is right. Katniss was also my first comfort character and she taught me that it’s okay to find comfort in fictional characters.
One of the biggest female celebrities of our time is Taylor Swift. She has been a big inspiration and her music itself has inspired me a lot. I can relate her music to different aspects of my life even though we have lived completely different lives. She has taught me to always stay positive even when things don’t seem to go your way. She has also taught me that it’s okay to have fun and joke around and do work at the same time. In her song “Daylight” off of her album, Lover, she says, “I wanna be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate, not the things that I’m afraid of, not the things that haunt me in the middle of the night I just think that you are what you love”. I think this is an important lesson to only let the things you love define you.
Yes, I know I have Katniss Everdeen listed already, but I’m talking about the actress here and not one of her characters. In my opinion, Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most humble and funniest actresses I can think of. On top of this, she seems very real and transparent. She doesn’t let her fame get to her and she doesn’t try to be perfect, which I think is very important for a celebrity. She taught me to always be myself and to not change who I am to be liked, because at the end of the day, if nobody likes me for who I really am, then they don’t deserve my time and energy.
I think Zendaya is another one of the biggest celebrity icons of our generation. Everybody knows who she is and many people love her, as well. She is a big activist and stands up for what she believes in. I don’t even know what else to say besides how iconic she is. Zendaya has taught me to be myself and not to let anyone stop me from being a girlboss.
Another show with some iconic characters in it is Stranger Things. As fun and suspenseful as this show is, I think there are some important lessons in it. One essential one is the importance of friendship. If you surround yourself with the right people, they will always have your back no matter what and it’s important to have their back as well. Having an encouraging group of friends who are supportive of you is necessary for any stage of life. This is a lesson I brought with me to college that has helped me a lot to build bonds with people who I know will always be there for me when I need it, no matter what.
And last but certainly not least, one of the biggest television icons for her show I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball. I have lots of great memories with her. My older sister and I used to watch I Love Lucy all the time when we were growing up. We had every season on DVD and both my sister and I dressed as Lucy Ricardo for Halloween. Watching this show was one way my sister and I got to bond before we got closer as we grew up. Lucille Ball taught me that I can do whatever I put my mind to, considering that it wasn’t common for a female to be the star of her own show during the time period it was made. She also taught me about humor and how it’s important to be a strong independent woman.