Quite often seeing female politicians in power can stir a lot of trouble and other negative emotions. Sadly – due to how society works – it’s almost a taboo subject because when a lot of people think about politicians, they mostly imagine men in those positions. Seriously? It’s the 21st century! Anyone can be a politician, no matter their gender, racial or social background.
Look around the world and you’ll find lots of women in power such as the current Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris, Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel, Kosovo’s president Vjosa Osmani or New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. This all goes back to when powerful women such as Shirley Chisholm, who ran for president of the United States back in 1968, while Margaret Thatcher became the first British female Prime Minister in 1979. Both defined the imagery that was created by men and opened doors for generations of females to come. But who are those women in power representing our future?
You might have heard of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – known as “AOC”. She became a democratic congresswoman for the United States in 2019, representing the 14th District of New York. AOC stands for many things, including women’s rights and equality for all. She also made an appearance at the Met Gala this year, wearing an elegant white dress with “tax the rich” on the back. Of course this sent out a clear message which many will understand.
Another young woman who has made her voice heard is Zarah Sultana, a British politician who is based in Coventry South where she’s a leading labour MP. Being only 28 years old, she has truly set an example of what can be. At 17 she decided to join the labour party and fast forward to May 2021, Zarah was a signatory to an open letter from Stylist Magazine who called on the government to address what was described as an “epidemic of male violence” by funding an “ongoing, high-profile, expert-informed awareness campaign on men’s violence against women and girls”. Today, she is actively fighting for and representing all kinds of women. There’s a lot of women you haven’t heard of, but they are out there representing us proudly. And still, not enough people want to recognize the revolutionization of history women are creating in the 21st century.
All of the aforementioned women in power and thousands more – such as Yara Shahidi and Michelle Obama – have all proven several things throughout their careers so far. One being that sometimes it’s best to listen, observe, but continue to do what it is you do best. “Don’t ever let other people’s perception define who you are”, as Vice President Kamala Harris would say and she is more than right. Being a female in a male-dominated field like politics, you’ll often find that barriers have to be broken and – metaphorically speaking – sometimes you will get cut and it will hurt. Any career you take on won’t just come with the ultimate success, it will come with hard work, dedication and sacrifices. But anything is possible. Because who runs the world? We do.
ROARA Magazine 