1. “I am On The Right Track, Because
I was Born This Way”: Ten Women
Who Changed The Face Of The
World
By Nidhi Khurana

2. Towards making History
• We all talk about history almost every day.
• But have we ever wondered who creates history?
• Is it a man or a woman? Who informs him/her?
• What kinds of events are included in the creation of
discourses?
• Well, several feminists have answers to these questions. They
say that most of history ignores the accounts and
experiences of women.
• In a society which prescribes a woman to be the home maker
and man to be the bread winner, there is a little chance that
women will have something to contribute to the history of
the same.

3. Breaking the monotony
• Yes, many women nowadays are moving beyond their
traditional roles, by moving out of the domestic sphere, for
education and work.
• They are driving cars, they are choosing their own partners,
or choosing to stay single, and all we can think of.
• That was the result of years of efforts of those ladies who
broke the stereotypes and were deemed as deviant with bad
characters, and sometimes also faced degradation for being
too progressive.
• I know, International Women’s Day is over but it is never too
late to learn more about women who created history and
who dared to break the stereotypes.

4. Virginia Woolf
• The first woman modernist writer, an English novelist, is first
on the list.
• She challenged society both in her style of writing, the
substance of her writing and by her way of life.
• Not just for being an important and inventive modern
novelist, but for reminding us, in A Room of One’s Own, of the
remarkable things women might have written throughout
history if they hadn’t been too burdened by household chores
and society’s restrictions, makes her an important figure in
shaping modern day feminism. .

5. Rosa Parks
• Rosa became one of the most respected figures in the civil
rights movement in the US, but that she did by misbehaving
in a way.
• She refused to give up her seat to the white man at the time
when blacks were treated in an inhuman manner.
• The boycott led to the creation of the Montgomery
Improvement Association which was headed by Martin
Luther Jr. Parks continued to work for improving the civil
status of blacks that also led to the creation of some of the
significant civil rights legislations.
• She was also adorned with the title the Mother of the
Freedom Movement from the US Congress.

6. Coco Chanel
• Paris is known for its glamour and its fashion industry since
time immemorial.
• There is much it owes to Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Bonheur Chanel for
bringing about a revolution in traditional clothing that
women of the 20th century wore.
• Her menswear inspired fashion made her an important
figure.
• Her ideas were considered to be too revolutionary as she
often took traditional menswear and redesigned them for
women, which was unacceptable at that time.
• Though, her ideas were opposed and resisted by the world,
yet she believed “He will soon be claiming that the Resistance
has liberated the world.”
• She is also the founder of the famous brand Chanel.

7. Vidya Balan
• The famous Bollywood actress might not have done much for
the society or someone, yet she has moved beyond the
typical image that Indian actresses usually carry.
• The actress has always been in the news for her extra weight
and a not-so-impressive sense of dressing (normally silk
sarees), yet her acting skills and her ability to preserve her
individuality and originality have made her a successful
Bollywood actress.
• She is also a social activist.

8. Sampat Pal
• Though she has named her organization as Gulabi Gang (pink
being the colour of women), yet she has challenged the
stereotypes that plague the Indian society.
• Progressive, bold and assertive, this woman has proved that
it is not the education that alone contributes to your
empowerment, but your own determination and unwavering
strength that stand for your cause.
• Her gang stands to fight the domestic violence and
oppression of women by punishing the violent fathers,
brothers and husbands.

9. Ellen DeGeneres
• She has been much in news for embracing her sexuality like
no one else.
• This beloved talk show host was the first one to move out in
public and be assertive about her sexual choices.
• The world might criticize her for not complying with the
traditions but she has always accepted criticism eloquently
and in her own humorous way.
• Women like her need recognition for being strong in their
character.

10. Benazir Bhutto
• She should obviously be on the list for being the first woman
Prime Minister of a Muslim country.
• She helped to move Pakistan from dictatorship to
Democracy in 1977.
• She also sought to implement social reforms, particularly
helping women and the poor.
• Sadly in 2007, she got assassinated.
• But she will always be remembered for her charismatic
authority and political astuteness.

11. Mary Kom
• Who says women don’t make good sportspersons?
• Mary Kom has cleared all the doubts by winning the bronze
medal in the 2012 Olympics in boxing.
• She is a five-time World Boxing Champion, and the only
woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six
world championships.
• Hats off to her for thinking out of the box and embracing a
game that is traditionally not regarded as suitable for girls!

12. Oprah Winfrey
• She is regarded as one of the most influential media giants in
the world.
• According to Forbes magazine, Oprah is one of the richest
African Americans of the 20th century and the world’s only
Black billionaire.
• In 2005, Business Week named her the greatest Black
philanthropist in American history.
• Her personality is the testimony that one can always move up
in life if one wishes to.
• All you need is the determination.

13. Lady Gaga
• Music is a part of our popular culture which has a powerful
impact on what people accept as ‘normal’.
• Lady Gaga has got this message right, and has been doing
things that are crazy and essentially gender-bending.
• Through her music and appearance in media, she has been
challenging gender roles and grabbing enough attention too.
• People might find her weird and criticize her for her dressing
sense.
• Nonetheless, she is undoubtedly creating a history probably
because she was ‘born this way’.

14. Break the rules, but do it right
• There are several other ladies who have changed the world
by resisting the gender specific roles and need to be
acknowledged every now and then.
• For some, they might have transgressed the boundaries or
broken the rules but as the saying goes ‘Well-behaved women
seldom make history’

15. • Read more on Youth Ki Awaaz at http://bit.ly/XAl28x