BILLIE JEAN KING When King decided to take on 55-year-old Bobby Riggs in a tennis match in 1973, she was 29 years old, with 10 Grand Slam titles to her name. But at stake was not just any other title but apparently the reputation of women’s tennis itself in a match termed “Battle of the Sexes”. King, a passionate advocate for equal rights for sportswomen, beat Riggs in straight sets, cementing her position as an icon for gender equality in tennis. SAVITRIBAI PHULE Phule, along with her husband, Jyotirao, were the first Indians to open a school for women in India in 1848. Phule, who belonged to an Other Backward Classes community, did so at a time when education was considered the prerogative of higher castes. A writer, poet and activist, she also campaigned against child marriage and spoke in favour of widow remarriage. TARANA BURKE A Brooklyn-based activist working with survivors of sexual violence for years, Burke came into the spotlight when her phrase, “Me Too”, began to be used by women all over the world while speaking out against sexual harassment. She attended the Golden Globes awards ceremony along with actress Michelle Williams to draw attention to the issue of sexual harassment, symbolising that women were supporting each other. centrespread 13 MARCH 08-14, 2020 12 MARCH 08-14, 2020 centrespread SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR Writer, philosopher and activist — Beauvoir was all of this and more. Her book, The Second Sex, published in 1949, has been hailed as a feminist bible. In the book, she lays down the thesis that men oppress women by defining them exclusively in opposition to men, as the “Other”. She wanted women to be “free to choose themselves”, to ask themselves what they wanted for their lives. CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE “We should all be feminists," writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said at a TEDx talk, which racked up over 5 million views on YouTube and went on to be made into a bestselling book-length essay. Nigeria-born Adichie is the bestselling author of books like Half of A Yellow Sun, recipient of the MacArthur Grant and has come to be celebrated as much for her writings and speeches on feminism as she is for her novels. MARIE CURIE When we think of women in science, Curie’s is often the first name to come to mind. The first woman scientist to win a Nobel Prize (for physics, in 1903), she followed it up with another eight years later (for chemistry). She was also the first woman professor at the Sorbonne in Paris. Her successes came despite the constant campaigns to vilify her, particularly after the death of her husband and fellow Nobel laureate Pierre Curie. They broke the mould, threw convention to the winds and spoke out for women’s right to equality. A look at some of these women — from sports to science to politics — to celebrate what they stood for and the choices they made to promote gender rights at different points in time :: Indulekha Aravind GLORIA STEINEM Steinem became near synonymous with the feminist movement in the United States in the '60s and '70s. The journalist and activist campaigned tirelessly for women’s rights and continues to do so. She popularised the line coined by writer Irina Patsi Dunn: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”. On her marriage at the age of 66, Steinem famously said: “I didn’t change; marriage changed.” PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE The award-winning actor and writer became a sensation last year with the success of her comedy series Fleabag. Centred around the eponymous character who talks directly to the camera, the show broke new ground for the honesty of its writing. Waller-Bridge has spoken out about her worries about being a “bad feminist” — a candour which did her no disservice. She is also the second woman to share writing credits for a James Bond movie. FRIDA KAHLO The radical Mexican artist with the unibrow has become a millennial favourite, seen on everything from T-shirts to mugs. Kahlo challenged convention in her work and in life. She chose to portray women honestly in her surrealist paintings, touching on themes like abortion and breastfeeding. She was never apologetic about her unibrow, faint moustache, or her sexual choices. Today, over 60 years after her death, she is celebrated for being fierce, free and an iconic artist. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ In 2018, she became the youngest woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives, at the age of 29. Popularly referred to as AOC, Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th congressional district, has become an icon of sorts as a young, progressive lawmaker passionate about gender rights, labour rights and the environment, among others. Source: The New York Times, The Guardian, Mint, Quartz
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BILLIE JEAN KING When King decided to
take on 55-year-old
Bobby Riggs in a tennis
match in 1973, she was 29
years old, with 10 Grand
Slam titles to her name.
But at stake was not
just any other title but
apparently the reputation
of women’s tennis itself in
a match termed “Battle of
the Sexes”. King, a
passionate advocate
for equal rights for
sportswomen, beat Riggs
in straight sets, cementing
her position as an icon for
gender equality in tennis.
SAVITRIBAI PHULE Phule, along with her husband,
Jyotirao, were the first
Indians to open a school for
women in India in 1848.
Phule, who belonged to an
Other Backward Classes
community, did so at a
time when education was
considered the prerogative of
higher castes. A writer, poet and
activist, she also campaigned against
child marriage and spoke in favour of
widow remarriage.
TARANA BURKE A Brooklyn-based activist
working with survivors of
sexual violence for years,
Burke came into the spotlight
when her phrase, “Me Too”,
began to be used by women all
over the world while speaking
out against sexual harassment.
She attended the Golden
Globes awards ceremony along
with actress Michelle Williams
to draw attention to
the issue of sexual harassment,
symbolising that women were
supporting each other.
centrespread 13MARCH 08-14, 2020
12MARCH 08-14, 2020
centrespread
SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR Writer, philosopher
and activist — Beauvoir
was all of this and
more. Her book, The
Second Sex, published
in 1949, has been
hailed as a feminist
bible. In the book, she
lays down the thesis
that men oppress
women by defining
them exclusively in
opposition to men, as
the “Other”. She
wanted women to be
“free to choose
themselves”, to ask
themselves what they
wanted for their lives.
CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE “We should all be
feminists," writer
Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie said at a TEDx
talk, which racked up
over 5 million views
on YouTube and went
on to be made into a
bestselling book-length
essay. Nigeria-born
Adichie is the
bestselling author of
books like Half of A
Yellow Sun, recipient
of the MacArthur Grant
and has come to be
celebrated as much for
her writings and
speeches on feminism
as she is for her
novels.
MARIE CURIE When we think of women
in science, Curie’s is often
the first name to come to
mind. The first woman
scientist to win a Nobel
Prize (for physics, in
1903), she followed it up
with another eight years
later (for chemistry).
She was also the first
woman professor at the
Sorbonne in Paris. Her
successes came despite
the constant campaigns
to vilify her, particularly
after the death of her
husband and fellow Nobel
laureate Pierre Curie.
They broke the mould, threw convention to the winds and spoke out for women’s right to equality. A look at some of these women — from sports to
science to politics — to celebrate what they stood for and the choices they made to promote gender rights at different points in time
:: Indulekha Aravind
GLORIA STEINEM Steinem became near
synonymous with the
feminist movement in the
United States in the '60s and
'70s. The journalist and
activist campaigned
tirelessly for women’s rights
and continues to do so. She
popularised the line coined
by writer Irina Patsi Dunn: “A
woman needs a man like a
fish needs a bicycle”. On her
marriage at the age of 66,
Steinem famously said: “I
didn’t change; marriage
changed.”
PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE The award-winning actor and
writer became a sensation last
year with the success of her
comedy series Fleabag. Centred
around the eponymous
character who talks directly to
the camera, the show broke new
ground for the honesty of its
writing. Waller-Bridge has
spoken out about her worries
about being a “bad feminist”
— a candour which did her no
disservice. She is also the
second woman to share writing
credits for a James Bond movie.
FRIDA KAHLO The radical Mexican artist with
the unibrow has become a
millennial favourite, seen on
everything from T-shirts to
mugs. Kahlo challenged
convention in her work and in
life. She chose to portray
women honestly in her
surrealist paintings, touching on
themes like abortion and
breastfeeding. She was never
apologetic about her unibrow,
faint moustache, or her sexual
choices. Today, over 60 years
after her death, she is
celebrated for being fierce,
free and an iconic artist.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ In 2018, she became the
youngest woman to be
elected to the US House of
Representatives, at the age
of 29. Popularly referred to
as AOC, Cortez, who
represents New York’s 14th
congressional district, has
become an icon of sorts as
a young, progressive
lawmaker passionate about
gender rights, labour rights
and the environment,
among others.
Source: The New York Times, The Guardian, Mint, Quartz
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