We all rely on the media to find role models and inspiration for our day to day lives. However, many girls, including many at PHS, grow up without seeing any women that look like themselves in the media. Thankfully, many women, such as poet Amanda Gorman, singer Alicia Keys, and actress America Ferrera are working to change societal norms and misogyny in the industry to ensure following generations of women don’t have to face underrepresentation in the media. From when we were younger girls to now, these women have impacted our views on feminism and representation. 

Amanda Gorman is currently the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. However, her success did not come without challenges. For example, as a child, she had a speech impediment, and she currently has an auditory processing disorder. When I first learned this, I rewatched her recitation of “The Hill We Climb,” where I could not hear any sign of a speech impediment. As a woman of color myself, it was comforting to see someone that had her own challenges during her childhood was able to overcome them and gain such notability. At 16, she experienced her first success when she became the Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles. Since the 2021 inauguration of Joe Biden, she’s experienced great success, with two of her books achieving best-seller status. I remember when I first watched her during the inauguration; at first, I couldn’t fathom how much work she must have had to put in as a woman of color to recite a poem in a place where people like her had always been unwelcome. However, I soon simply enjoyed the poem and its message, all the while amazed that a person of color was being recognized for her creativity and talent. In 2014, Gorman reported that she “aspires to be a human rights advocate” and pursued this by founding a nonprofit in 2016 called “One Pen One Page,” which strives to eliminate inequality through education. Gorman is an inspiration to many, including myself. Her success as a young woman makes me realize that my age doesn’t prevent me from reaching milestones. She serves as a role model for girls of all races, especially those at PHS, to look up to. She uses her voice to talk about her experiences with racism and sexism, intertwining her two identities to influence her work. 

Alicia Keys: Singer

Alicia Keys is a singer most known for her R&B songs including “Empire State of Mind,” “Girl on Fire,” and “If I Ain’t Got You.” Keys is a very outspoken activist and she has always connected this to her lyrics. Though she has multiple songs that beautifully express her personal feelings towards hardships in equality, I think the one that I resonate the most with is a classic, “Girl on Fire.” Though it may be considered “basic” to think of Alicia Keys and instantly connect that thought with “Girl on Fire,” I personally believe it is her most empowering song because of its lack of personality. Unlike some of her other popular songs, “Girl on Fire” uses no personal pronouns, making it applicable to any and every girl. The lyrics label her as “just a girl,” but throughout the song this “Girl on Fire” escapes a messed up world and creates new beginnings. There is no specific criteria to be the “Girl on Fire,” presenting a timeless message to every woman that they all have what it takes to influence the world and to find great success. Though it may be considered one of Keys’ most overplayed songs, I believe that “Girl on Fire” is one of her most influential, because it made every girl believe in themselves and the power they hold. 

I also personally resonate with “Empire State of Mind.” The song launches you into NYC, “the City that Never Sleeps”, and makes you feel like you could accomplish anything if you put your mind to it. Sometimes I like sitting alone in my room and trying (and failing) to hit the high notes. Overall, the song just makes me feel empowered and I never get tired of it. 

America Ferrera: Actress

America Ferrera is a Honduran-American actress, most known for her breakthrough roles in Ugly Betty, Superstore, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Since the beginning of her career at 15, she has heard people tell her to be “more latina” in order to fit stereotypical roles of latina side-characters. Because of the prejudice she has faced in the industry, America has made it a point to be a role model for other girls to be themselves, and not the mold that others want them to fit. As a latina myself, watching Ferrera’s 2019 Ted Talk on “My Identity is a Superpower, Not an Obstacle” was so inspiring because she has been fighting to end clichés of ethnic people playing stereotypical side-characters for nearly 20 years and consistently continues to make that her first priority in terms of work. Even in 2000s teen dramas, which are notoriously known for lacking in diversity, she has starred as main characters who reflect herself, and not what the world expects of her. When Ferrera said that her being the first and only Latina to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series “is not a point of pride, that is a point of deep frustration,” I think the perspective I have always had on award shows changed a lot because I began to take more notice of how milestones in the entertainment industry are really a sign of getting rid of a stigma that shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Ferrera won that Emmy 15 years ago, and no Latina has won it since. Now however, many companies have been much more aware and have taken a lot more action on the need for more diversity, Ferrera’s “win” is a clear example that there is still a long way to go, and it is people like her who are paving the path to success.