Who Runs The World: Girls

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In celebration of International Women’s Day yesterday we’re showing our appreciation with six ladies who are well and truly running the world.

KAMALA HARRIS

Kamala is the new Vice President of The United States. And not only that, but she’s the first female vice president, the first African American vice president and the first Asian American vice president! She’s spent pretty much her entire career in politics, serving the public as a District Attorney of San Francisco, Chief of the Division on Children and Families for the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, California Attorney General and United States Senator. Kamala is strong willed, and most definitely a people person. She defended the Affordable Care Act in court, enforced environmental law, and was a national leader in the movement for marriage equality. She championed legislation to combat hunger, provide rent relief, improve maternal health care, address the climate crisis, and helped protect low-income communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

GABBY EDLIN

Gabby is the founder of Bloody Good Period - a charity tackling period poverty with a vision to achieve menstrual equity. While volunteering at a local drop-in centre, Gabby started to notice that the lists of essential items she’d been asked to give visitors didn’t include any menstrual products. And, when she asked why, she was told by the men in charge that “they just weren’t essential”. So, Gabby took it upon herself to bring these definitely essential items in. She sent out a message on Facebook asking for people to send pads and tampons to her using an Amazon wishlist, and quickly got a lot of items! With this came motivation and the determination to continue doing good for the refugees that needed the products, so, she set up Bloody Good Period. It started slowly, but is now a well known charity, partnered with 40 asylum seeker drop-in centres around the country, helping more women and people who menstruate have bloody good periods.

AMANDA GORMAN

Amanda was all over our TV screens at the start of this year, when she read her poem The Hill We Climb at Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ presidential inauguration ceremony (she was picked specifically by the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden!) But this wasn’t her first foray into public speaking. In 2015, she was named the first-ever Youth Poet of Los Angeles, and then in 2017 became America’s first ever National Youth Poet Laureate! Amanda uses her poetry to advocate for feminism, anti-racism, the African diaspora and areas of marginalisation and oppression. Amanda was also born with an auditory disorder which makes her ‘hear and process information differently from other people’. But this never stopped her, and she even credits the musical Hamilton for helping her overcome it! Amanda is also the founder of One Pen, One Page, a non-profit organisation empowering youth to use their voices and eliminate inequality through education. And, she has two books coming out this year, a poetry collection called The Hill We Climb and children’s book Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem.

HARI NEF

Hari is an actor, model, fashionista and activist. Most people know her from her role in the hit show Transparent, where she played a transgender woman in Berlin during the Weimar era. She also starred in Netflix sensation You, playing Blythe - who quickly became a fan favourite as rival to Beck. Then, In 2018, she landed her first feature film role, in Assassination Nation, a social satire about sexism and social media, mixed with small-town-gone-mad horror and high-school drama. Hari also made history back in 2015, when she became the first transgender model to sign to IMG Worldwide modelling agency! She’s since been on the cover of Elle, Love, Out and Metal magazines, and has been featured in Vogue. Hari is a role model for many, and uses her social media influence to educate, inspire and advocate for transgender rights.

JACINDA ARDERN

In 2017, Jacinda was appointed Prime Minister of New Zealand and became the country’s youngest leader in 150 years. She’d long been in the game, having been a researcher for Prime Minister Helen Clark straight out of graduating school, and then becoming a policy advisor to Tony Blair. Not only is Jacinda a leader in politics, she’s set on leading new ways of thinking. When her daughter was three months old, she brought her to the United Nations General Assembly in hopes of “creating a path for other women”. And, in 2018, she set out her plan to ban single-use plastic bags throughout the country - and while she’s always been vocal about saving the planet, her new plan was put in motion because she listened to young people who were passionate about it and took their advice! There’s a reason that most of New Zealand calls Jacinda ‘Aunty Jacinda’. They love her like family!

ROSIE TRESSLER

Rosie is a mental health campaigner and the CEO of Student Minds - the UK’s student mental health charity. As a lifelong activist, Rosie was heavily involved in student life during her time at uni - she ran for student government, worked with her university’s feminist society, and was involved in lots of campaigning, volunteer management, fundraising, and programme development. Student Minds was set up to empower students and members of the university community to develop the knowledge, confidence, and skills to look after their own mental health, support others and create change. Rosie helps develop innovative approaches, collaborates on research and empowers students all over the country. She has overseen the development of the University Mental Health Charter, a government-backed, research-led initiative which will reward universities taking preventative, whole-institution approaches to mental health. And in 2019, Rosie was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in recognition of her services to mental health in higher education!

Which women do you look up to every day! and celebrate? Let us know over at @NCS!