Given how ridiculous the world can be at any given moment lately (thanks 2018), it’s a hell of a relief to be able to think about the good stuff – like how far folk have come in recognising that women can, ya know, actually get the job done. Recognising the sheer badassery of women should be a Thing we hear about more, so we should be making a bigger deal about them.
Seriously, these women are absolute weapons when it comes to smashing their career goals out the window and sticking it to the blokes who said they couldn’t. So many fields have been dominated by the boys club for so long, but they’re turning that shit right around and making sure they have a seat at the table for generations to come.
Serena Williams
Tennis blokes always seem to cop the title of ‘GOAT’, or ‘Greatest Of All Time’, but let’s be real for a second here. Literally none of them have ever come remotely close to smashing the records that Serena Williams has been setting for years. She’s a weapon on and off the court, and she fucking knows it.
A lot of women cop flak for being openly proud of their achievements instead of demurely accepting praise with a curtsey of their crinoline skirts, but Serena is not about that kind of life. She knows how good she is and she’ll absolutely tell you – because why shouldn’t she? I am all for women owning their successes tbh.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Yep, Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg herself, leading the charge for women in the US and sticking it to the man with her deceptively strong arms – because on top of all her other achievements, the Notorious RBG is an athletic prodigy too (seriously she can plank longer than I can).
The 85-year-old dynamo fought gender discrimination in her long, long career as a lawyer and justice, becoming a feminist icon and all-round top human in the process. If you’re unfamiliar with this utter legend, you can check out the upcoming flick RBG (releasing on July 26th), a biography that’s set to show us all about how she conquered the courtroom and was a powerhouse advocate for equality from the get-go.
Check out the trailer above for evidence, if it pleases the court.
Michelle Payne
It’s the race that brings the entire nation to a great bloody halt, and jockey Michelle Payne is a name that pretty much goes hand in hand with the idea of Aussies smashing glass ceilings. Beyond the fact that she’s 110% a national icon for telling her critics to “get stuffed” on national TV, it just so happens that she was the first female to ever win the Melbourne Cup, back in 2015.
Having grown up in a racing family (one of a whopping ten children, eight of whom are also involved in the sport), Michelle defs earned her place in this list. Working with her brother Stevie Payne (as strapper), she managed to defy all expectations and smash the other jockeys out of the park on her horse, Prince of Penzance. Nice.
Ellen Pompeo
As the lead in one of the longest running medical dramas, known for its pretty bloody insane storylines, you’d think you’d be in the clear when it comes to salary disputes. Yet despite having the show ‘Greys Anatomy’ literally named after her character, Pompeo found out that they’d been paying her male co-stars a helluva lot more cash.
Not one to take things lying down, she put down her fake stethoscope and straight up told them she’d walk if she wasn’t paid the same, like a boss. Notice that she’s still on the show? Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re confident and powerful AF.
Michelle Simmons
Not only is Professor Michelle Simmons an insanely intelligent scientist with a knack for quantum physics, but she also happens to be the 2018 Australian of the Year. She leads a team of over 200 researchers to make crazy advances in quantum computing and research – and in a field like STEM (which frankly still has an overabundance of the fellas), it’s pretty damn inspiring to see her flourish.
She also created Australia’s first quantum computing company, so she’s business savvy and entrepreneurial and holy shit do we even need to go on? Michelle is legitimately a pioneer, ‘cos her team is at the front of the race to create a quantum computer – and we’re not just talking here in Australia. We’re talking global.
So basically, women get shit done.
Image: Instagram / notoriousrbg
