Embracing Girl Power

When hearing the phrase "girl power" I instantly think of the 1990's and the Spice Girls, but 2016 has witnessed the rise of girl power and could be the new era of strong, powerful women.

With Theresa May becoming the second female Prime Minister for the UK, Hilary Clinton becoming the first woman to ever run for the US President and Angela Merkel as the first female Chancellor for Germany, women are rising to the challenge of politics.

One female leader who has been a brilliant role model for powerful women has to be Queen Elizabeth. This year she celebrated her 90th birthday and it seems age is just a number for her as she is still as regal and strong as ever. There's no doubt that she embraces 'girl power' as she is the longest reigning monarch ever, good on you Queen Liz!

Even when women are not at the forefront they seem to have great influence. When looking at Samantha Cameron and Michelle Obama, they are portrayed as great support systems for their husbands yet they still embrace their independence through their work for charities. Obama has tried to urge the USA to embrace a healthier lifestyle through campaigns such as "Lets Move!", and Cameron took part in "The Great Sport Relief Bake Off" earlier this year to show that doing the simplest thing can hugely benefit others.

It's not just politics that embrace female empowerment, Vogue recently celebrated it's 100th year anniversary and there was nobody better than Kate Middleton to be featured on the front cover of the iconic magazine. When she married Prince William in 2011, Kate became known for having a real life fairytale, the one every little girl dreams of, yet her work ethic never let this stop her from achieving her goals. Since gaining her royal title, Kate has become a patron for 8 charities that she is passionate for, and volunteers for the Scout Association. Although she is the real life Cinderella, she's always stuck to her roots.

The music industry is heavily influenced by women with female artists dominating the charts. Artists such as Taylor Swift and Adele use their lyrics to embrace female empowerment. Swift topped the Forbes list "The World's Highest Payed Celebrities of 2016" showing that 'girl power' really is a cultural phenomenon.

The United Nations have devised 17 sustainable development goals, many of these help to embrace 'girl power'. With it being the 20th anniversary this month of the Spice Girl's single "Wannabe", the Global Goals used this as an opportunity to advertise their campaign. 

Women are leading first world countries yet in the third world they are poorly treated. 2016 is embracing 'girl power' as women are in the limelight everywhere we turn, this means it is time to stop inequalities towards women and let females embrace their independence no matter of their background.