Thursday, September 16, 2010
She Will Cut You With Lazers While Looking Pretty and Fighting an Armada. And Then Write a Book About It.
And Kathi Oram Peterson (I'm totally pretending we're related because she's awesome) had to go and ask me who I thought were the 10 most influential WOMEN in history since only two women made my ultimate list.
And then the theme for today's Back 2 Blogging Challenge from SITS turned out to be Influential Women. I know they probably want me to highlight ONE woman that's been influential to ME, but it sounded like a good time to get around to that other post I've been meaning to write.
Now, I made a preliminary list of 28 amazing women just off the top of my head. And there can only be 10. Because I said so. And history is a really long time. So it was hard to narrow it down, but I did. I know some of you are going to scratch your heads at some of these names and some of the confusing omissions, but I decided to base my list on the 10 women from history whose influence extends beyond their own time and whose impact is still felt today.
So, here goes:
(All the images below were found in the labyrinth of Google Images. That's as specific as I remembered to be.)
Honorable Mentions (because I feel like it):
Anne Frank, Margaret Thatcher, Dian Fossey, Virginia Wolf, Nancy Reagan, Joan of Arc, Mary, Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Eva Peron and Rosa Parks.
So it's really hard to find a decent picture of Eve where she's got her boobs covered up. So, even though it's probably heresy or something, I've opted for the much more family friendly version of EVE. Anyway, Eve was a pretty influential woman. She was the first to get a man to do exactly what she wanted him to, and she introduced the world to clothes. So, way to go.
9. Coco Chanel
Eve may have given us clothes, but Coco Chanel made them classy and expensive. She had the Midas Touch in the fashion world and became an icon. She was even the only person from the entire fashion industry that was named to Time Magazine's 100 Most Important People of the Century. Her empire opened doors for women designers everywhere.
8. Madonna
I know, I know. It's Madonna. And she's kind of crazy and has biceps that are sharper than the knives in my chef roommate's knife drawer. But, let's face it. Her music has influenced countless young girls the world over. I mean, where would Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan be today without the original Material Girl?
7. Jane Austen
I dare you to name a chick flick that doesn't have some hint of a Jane Austen novel in it. Austen's books are, admittedly, tough to read. And they're all basically the same. But she wrote about strong female characters and handsome, proud men. Her tales of romance were fairytale-like and timeless, which may be partly due to the fact that she never married.
6. Benazir Bhutto
The first woman in the Muslim world to be elected leader of a nation. Bhutto was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988, after years of working to restore Pakistan to democracy. Her popularity was tarnished by unproven corruption charges and she was thrown out of office by the President, only to be elected again a few years later, and thrown out of office again. She dropped out of public life for a while, but reemerged in 2007 to run for the National Assembly. Just a few weeks before the election, Bhutto was assassinated on her way out of a campaign rally. While it's still too soon to know what her lasting legacy will be, there's no question that Bhutto's work was important to the women and the democracy of Pakistan.
5. Oprah Winfrey
She's so influential that the entire beef industry had to sue her over lost profits when she said she'd never eat a hamburger again. Millions of people (yes, mostly women, but men watch her too) have found their a-ha! moments because of her. She's launched the television careers of more than a couple celebrities, and she became the richest self-made woman in America.
(Hey, Oprah, if you happen to read this, I REALLY, DESPERATELY need a new car. Desperately. Kthanksbye.)
4. Susan B. Anthony
I like voting. A lot. And Susan B. Anthony is one of the amazing women that helped us girls get the chance to do just that. The suffrage movement wasn't a quick and easy process, and there were a lot of people involved, but she's the only one that got to be put on money.
3. Marie Curie
Not only was she the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, but she was one of only two people who have ever won for more than one category. Marie and her husband Pierre basically discovered radioactivity. That came in handy later when she helped popularize the use of x-ray machines during World War I.
2. Elizabeth I
Elizabeth was England's third choice to succeed her father, King Henry the 8th. I wonder if this is where they got the saying, "Third time's a charm." Because she definitely got it right. Fighting enemies who wanted to take over her kingdom and fighting a Spanish armada all while wearing dresses like THAT? She was one tough chick. She was so cool in the 16th century that people are still winning awards for playing her today.
1. Mother Theresa
What more can I say about Mother Theresa than I already said in that other post? She didn't influence political movements. She wasn't known as a great orator or a writer of enduring literature. What she did was inspire people to be better. To do more. To reach out and to love one another. And that legacy will last for generations.
So...what do you think? Where'd I go wrong? Where'd I go right? And how different would your list look?
Feel inclined to join in the fun? I'm participating in the SITS Back 2 Blogging Challenge. Click below to jump into the fray!
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I love your list! I don't think I've ever seen a list of any kind that includes Mother Theresa, Oprah, and Madonna. Well done.
ReplyDelete*rolls eyes* Just another list of influential people that I didn't make it on to =(
ReplyDeleteIt seems like Oprah is everywhere at the moment. Ever since she announced she's coming to Australia I can't turn on the news or watch the Oprah Winfrey show without it being all about Oprah.
By the time she gets here we'll all be sick of her.
Oh, what a great (and diverse) list!!!! I love it!
ReplyDeleteAnd seriously - Madonna, Eve, and Mother Theresa on one list? Gotta be a first.
Crap. I gotta go change a few or else it looks like I just copied your list.... great list!
ReplyDeleteYou have a real talent for coming up with these lists. I don't even think I could start to make one. I like that Mother Theresa made both lists!
ReplyDeleteNo Kate Gosselin, huh?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kristina's comment above,about Kate Gosselin...that is too funny.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your list, I love Jane Austen books...
Stopping by from SITS - Glad to meet you!
What's difficult about lists like this is that it makes you confront the many ways in which one can be influential. Some of these women are influential in kind of a superfluous, pop culturey way. I mean, there's no doubt Madonna has made her mark on the world. But putting her on a list with people like Susan B. Anthony and Mother Theresa...know what I mean? They're just influential over different things, in different ways. So it's hard to make a list of influential people without comparing apples to oranges in some cases.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase "apples to oranges" makes me think of a comedian who pointed out that they're both fruit. hee!
Some excellent choices here. What a great list!
ReplyDeleteI love your list! I 'm not sure I'd have thought to put Madonna on it, but it works. She belongs there.
ReplyDeleteAwesome list of woman! I also chose a more public figure for my inspirational woman today...Alveda King.
ReplyDeleteI loved your list... your description of Eve made me laugh out loud! haha
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I'm shocked you picked Madonna. I love her, and I agree 100%, she's been very influential. I just didn't peg you as a fan. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat list...especially since I'm a huge Marie Curie fan (and Madonna.) I might of added Joan of Arc, because c'mon, she lead an army. But like you said, there can only be 10, and someone's going to get left off.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list and beautiful post! I am stopping in to say hi and thanks for stopping at my blog , PegsPlay
ReplyDeleteHey thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteEvery single one of these women (with the exception of Oprah who is actually on the list) was THIS close to being on my list as well! All these posts make me realize how much women rock! :-D
You forgot Paris Hilton : p
ReplyDeleteOkay Karen you get two comments from me in one day! This was a great list, first I love Walle and Eve! And second I recently wrote a Dear Madonna letter on my site so you know how I feel about her. Great choices.
ReplyDeleteThumbs up for Jane Austen! I love that you are into literature and I plan to visit here often.
ReplyDeleteWow, this was an involved post and probably took a lot of work, thinking of what to say about all of those influential women. Good for you! I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Gloria
Good list. Another name that could have been on your list is Emmy Noether, who made great contributions to modern physics. She not as famous as Marie Curie, but more important >:)
ReplyDeleteCold As Heaven
yeah i'd have booted madge, and definitely included joan of arc. but that's just me! =)
ReplyDeleteLOVE that mother theresa was your #1. she's one of my favorite well-known women too. i remember when she passed away, i was a senior in high school and man i took it kinda hard. she was just such a fantastic example of charity & compassion. i even wrote english papers about her!
what a great list. of course madonna belongs on there!
ReplyDeleteI think your list is good. The only thing I would change about it is putting Eve higher on the list.
ReplyDelete