The Women Who Inspire Us – Part 1

It occurred to me last week as I flipped through my Instagram feed that I seek out similar stories from those who I follow. I want to talk about celebrities for a moment. While working from home this past year I tune into a few talk shows while I work. I love a little background noise and I swear I learn things just by absorption. I started watching Drew Barrymore’s new talk show in the afternoons and at first, I felt it was a little bland and rehearsed – I get it- being real on TV as a celebrity is a catch 22 in the world we live in. I understand there is a needed aspect to rehearsed segments and dialogue. I wasn’t all that impressed with it and to be honest a little disappointed because the Drew I knew and have grown up idolizing for so many years was not who I was seeing on the tv during my afternoon hot coco break. That is until I watched a few of her recent IG stories and a very candid interview with Howard Stern (shout out to #BethSternFosters). I am pretty sure she used the F word more than 20 times in the handful of 2-minute clips, I was shocked at how real she was as she answered his questions. She did the interview from her talk show set and I secretly wished her show was more like that. I immediately went to some of her posts and commented on the live your life girliest posts because … #liveyourlifegirl – she was and THAT was the Drew I grew up idolizing. Her IG stories showed her sitting on the floor reorganizing her closet while her cats wandered into her frame, a make-up free face as she tested out random skin care a few months back, and recently as she received the JLO skin care gift she was dressed like all of us who work from home in sweats on the bottom business on the top. I started thinking of the other women I follow who are celebrities and why I enjoyed following their lives on social media. Jennifer Garner, if you don’t follow her you are missing out on some serious live your life girl moments that make you feel so good. She bakes in her pajamas with a dog nearby while filming from her laptop a top a cat tree! Hello!? She is real and funny, and she does some amazing humanitarian things.  I know what your thinking, do I have to have a cat to live my life girl? The answer is yes but we will let you slide if cats are just not your thing. I didn’t even know Drew had so many cats until that closet story. Now there is Lizzo who I can not even begin to tell you how she inspires me and has since I found her on a random playlist 4 years ago! Elle King’s stories of her farm life are amazing, and I believe she truly lives her life girl without judgement. Elle just dropped a new single while pregnant. She also posted her post op wisdom tooth experience – so funny – her story is full of hardships and struggle but inspiring when you dig down deep and she always makes me smile. Ricky Thompson who if you don’t know, now you do and its time for you to get your “new boots” – he is not a woman, but he is truly living his life girl.  His stories and rants are great! Just a few more – I have re-watched the full series of Broad City at least once this year and maybe 5 times in the past 3 years because the creative genius behind Abbi Jacobsen & Ilana Glazer truly showcase a live your life girl lifestyle. On their social media they fight for change and are extreme about it. Which brings me to some of the public figures that I follow who are lawmakers and political figures and regular people who are fighting for your rights and the rights of women for generations to come. They stand up for their beliefs without fear of judgement, they live their life girl to keep our health as women our decision – I am not politicizing – I am simply sharing why some of these women inspire me. You can be from either side of the isle and still find what these women have accomplished while raising a family, supporting a partner’s career all while graduating top of her class (she tied for first) and to be 1 of 9 women enrolled at Harvard in 1956 – you know who I am talking about right?

The people I mentioned don’t have much in common other than they are publicly recognized, have given me a smile or a little more courage to do something bigger. Live your life girl IG follows them and they have shown me something real. I have never met any of them and maybe one day I will. Maybe one day I can tell them that watching their lives and enjoying their works of art inspired me to share my voice and share some truly amazing stories of real women who inspire me. Every day I come in contact with the women in my life who inspire me. Some who have been fighting for a long time for a little happiness, some who are just on the verge of huge careers, some who have suffered loss, some who are starting new, some who have started families and some who are just like you.

You probably did not know that March is Women’s History Month, if you did then, yass girl! There will not be a televised women’s march or an hour-long special highlighting everything women have contributed to history; we won’t get a colorful parade or a ribbon to wear to show support. We will continue to get up every morning, shower and shave with our pink razors that cost more. We will start our day off with our lists in our heads our worries on our shoulders with smiles on our faces. We will power through our chores and at the grocery store we might get ogled by men and if they are brave enough, they will throw a comment our way about our body or even better they will demand us to smile, sometimes they even follow us around the store as if we need an escort to fill our carts (#creeper). We will drive the kids to practices and make it home in time for dinner prep, we will remodel our homes with a girlfriend’s supportive hand and we will call each other when we need a little lift to make it through the rest of the day before we do it all over again. We are women living our life girl making our own historical milestones every day. We don’t need the pomp and circumstance for our month because we are the power behind recognizing and standing up for those who need it most. We make the banners for the marches we pen the posters for the protests.  We direct the televised special and we celebrate the rights given to our brothers and sister full of love. We are women and history would not exist without us and history will only continue if we get up every day. When you wake up tomorrow look in the mirror and remind yourself you are a woman, and you will make history today! Be inspired by those out of reach and those who are sitting next to you or across the table or on the other end of the Zoom call. Live your life girl – woman!