Favorite Female Trailblazers

I’ve never felt limited by my gender. Being a woman has always registered as a strength to me, rather than a disadvantage. I think that’s due to having always seen great examples of women breaking barriers and achieving greatness. It’s hard to imagine that there were generations of women before us who didn’t have prototypes to show them the possibilities of what they could accomplish. Even without a blueprint, many strong women have been able to dismantle patriarchal ideals and pave the way for others. That’s why there’s no shortage of iconic women to inspire us. Check out this list of history-making trailblazers below!

Brianna Scurry

Olympic gold medalist and one of the first African American professional female soccer players

Chloé Zhao

First woman of color to win Golden Globe for Best Director

Mae Jemison

First African-American female astronaut

Hillary Clinton

First woman to run for president of the United States in a major political party

Elaine Welteroth

Youngest editor-in-chief in CondeNast history

Selena Quintanilla

Brought tejano music to mainstream audiences and is the best-selling female Latin artist of all time

Zendaya

Youngest actress to win an Emmy

Janet Guthrie

First woman to drive in the Indy 500

Sonia Sotomayor

First Hispanic justice to serve on the Supreme Court

Mo’Ne Davis

First girl to pitch shutout in the Little League World Series