We’re all about women supporting other women 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year in, year out. But with International Women’s Day rearing its big, beautiful and intelligent head, we thought we’d highlight the badass female icons fueling the feminist feeds of all the current and future girlbosses like yourself.
And no, we’re not just referring to the glamorous celebs and supermodels blowing up your Instagram feeds (though there’s plenty of them using their influence to promote women’s rights, which is awesome), we’re talking about the relentless, supercharged female superheroes honing their craft for the greater good irrespective of their follower count.
‘But where do you find these women’ we hear you cry. Well, we didn’t just find them in some pre-existing list on the internet, if that’s what you were thinking. No, on this occasion – and it is a BIG occasion – we’ve whipped out the big guns (figuratively speaking): our Miss FQ Collective. You know, our squad of switched on millennials from across the country tackling the highs and lows of adulting while remaining unapologetically woke, individual and pursuing their passions? Yeah, they’re awesome. You should totally get to know them.
If you’re looking to pepper in some punchy female attitude, projects, inspiration or daily anecdotes into your Instagram feed, scroll to discover the all-empowering list of badass women recommended by the Miss FQ Collective below:
Rupi Kaur
Chosen by Bhavana Bhim
“She is an incredible writer, poet and illustrator. Her poetry gets me to deeply reflect on life, love and how women are treated in society.”
Gina Martin
Chosen by Molly Floyd
“Gina is an empowering activist and freelance writer who made upskirting illegal in the UK. Her playful Instagram features badass fashion, cohesive illustrations and her posts are made up of inspiring messages surrounding body image, female empowerment and activism.”
Irene Wakefield
Chosen by Bonnie Brown
“Irene runs Prepair NZ a charity that focuses on teaching young girls (and women) about emotional abuse, self-love and everything in between. I love everything she is doing…”
Zoë Foster Blake
…I also adore Zoë Foster Blake @zotheysay. She’s my biggest career, life, style (and literally anything and everything else) inspiration.”
Eliana Gil Rodriguez
Chosen by Aasha-Samara Nimo
“I’m very particular about who I follow so you can be sure @elianagilrodriguez’s beautiful images and intellectual, thought-provoking content – sometimes regarding sustainable fashion and other times art history – that she’s one for the books!”
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Bethany Hamilton
Chosen by Aimee-Leigh Scott
“She is an American pro surfer who survived a shark attack when she was 13 years old. Despite losing her arm she returned to professional surfing.”
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Hannah Mellsop
Chosen by Lydia Michael
“She is SUCH a girlboss but is also so down to earth. She’s super sweet to chat to, incredibly talented and has a powerhouse business brain! She’s always positive and uplifting on the ‘gram, but shares sher real life too so we know it’s not all sunshine and rainbows running your own biz! I love the way she works with other Kiwi built businesses – she inspires me on the daily!”
Check out Hannah Mellsop’s delicious bliss ball recipe here.
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Donna Missal
Chosen by Taylor Compain
“I know and follow so many inspiring women on Instagram it’s so hard to narrow it down to just one! I think a huge standout for me would be Donna Missal. She’s a singer-songwriter from New Jersey and there is just something so powerful about her, and the feminine energy she exudes. On top of that her album is stunning and needs to be heard by everyone! I am obsessed with every single photo she posts. She has a softness but is a total not-give-a-f**k-badass. I could go on forever about everything that has to do with her – I LOVE it all.”
Elaine Welteroth
Chosen by Harriet Keown
“Journalist, author and former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue (yes, she’s the person we have to thank for Teen Vogue going woke), Elaine Welteroth is the only person on Instagram who could have a hundred tiny dashes at the top of her Insta story and would still have me watching every single one. Aside from the fact that she’s my dream career mentor, Elaine inspires me to be more insightful, more exuberant and particularly more aware of how I can be more intersectional and inquisitive in my feminism.”
Josie Edan
Chosen by Marielle Hawkes
“She breaks down taboos on the regular and constantly reminds me to unpack my assumptions and my privilege. She empowers women to be their realest, unfiltered selves.”
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Claudia Sulewski
Chosen by Elizabeth Paul
“She is an inspiration in all aspects of life, health, fitness and fashion. When I watch her YouTube videos or Instagram story it puts me in a mood to get stuff done, constantly reminding me why it is important to be positive and work hard.”
Abby Plested
Chosen by Ruby Major
“Abby is such a relatable and positive Kiwi to follow on the gram! She is constantly showing not only the glamour and fun in her life but also the not so glamorous stuff. She is also now a SUPER talented makeup artist!”
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Gala Darling
Chosen by Georgia-Jane Rippin
“She’s a self-help guru who gives amazing practical advice on how to feel good every day. I am low-key cult obsessive about her. She changed my life – watch her Wonderland sessions on Youtube, they’ll change yours.”
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Soo Joo Park
Chosen by Rosemary Kim
“Soo Joo is a Korean American model and DJ who has broken through barriers and crossed international events as no other Korean model has done before. She inspired and still does to this day to be unapologetically herself, embracing the features she was born with and walking with power, confidence and serving face in her everyday life!”
Find out more on why Soo Joo is one of our favourite style insiders here.
Diane von Furstenberg
Chosen by Bhavana Bhim
“Diane is an amazing fashion designer and notorious for empowering women everywhere. Her feed is a constant source of happiness and encouragement.
“I have multiple posts from both Rupi Kaur and Diane saved on my personal account because they re-jig my mind when I need a moment of inspiration.”
