Girl power!

invigorating a deadly obsession with skinniness. That’s not to say there haven’t been some outstanding contributions in recent shows. Victoria Jenkins’ Unhidden brand debuted at London Fashion Week this year with clothes tailored for those with disabilities. Not only did this spotlight different models, it raised awareness of the need for fashion to be affordable and practical, helping real life patients. It’s a move which is influencing brands outside of high fashion too: ASDA’s George range for instance recently unveiled a collection for children with disabilities. This kind of progress is vital, and it's something the industry as a whole needs to catch on to. Making the fashion industry more inclusive is essential. The rise of fast fashion means if brands can’t democratise, meeting the demand to showcase a range of sizes and voices, they risk losing relevancy altogether. Above all, fashion is how we express ourselves to the world, make statements and rebel — if it’s not inclusive and celebratory of diversity, it fails to accomplish that essential aim. Fashion shouldn’t just be for the few anymore, so if the industry wants to keep up, it needs to be part of the change.

To celebrate Women's Day, Lifestyle writers share their favourite female icons within pop culture

IN light of International Women’s Day, a particular celebrity that has given me inspiration to be more confident in myself is Florence Pugh. She is being recognised by people as the ‘It’ girl of this generation. Having recently starred in films like Don’t Worry Dar ling, which gained popularity for her role as Alice, more people are beginning to discover the amazing woman that is Ms Flo.

Florence is not afraid to change her hair or wear clothes that are expressive of her style.

Pugh is also inspiring in how she takes a stance against body shamers. In July 2022 for example, Florence shocked masses when she ap peared in a completely sheer Valentino dress, yet she presented herself as completely confident. She stated that she “was comfortable with my small breasts and showing them like that — it aggravated [people] that I was comfortable. It was just alarming, how perturbed they were”. To be outspoken about being at ease, she added that it has always been her goal to mock anyone who demands that she alter her appearance to fit their ideal of beauty. Therefore, Florence teaches people to wear what they want and be proud of their bodies, encouraging people that confidence is one of the best things people can wear.

Florence is also known for playing femaleempowered roles throughout her career. Starring as Yelena Belova in Black Widow, she acted as a Ukrainian spy whose power lies in her fighting abilities. She takes a different direction in 2019’s Little Women where she plays the iconic role of Amy March, which is my favourite of her roles. She made many audience members grow to love the character of Amy; a character who had been over hated for many years previous. Amy’s monologue to Laurie in particular is inspiring to many women, enlightening Laurie about the realities of what being a woman was like in the 1860s, famously protesting: “I’m not a poet, I’m just a woman”.

Florence Pugh is a great inspiration for many women as she is proud and unafraid of who she is. I cannot wait to see her in upcoming films of the future, and I always highly anticipate her 'Cooking with Flo' Instagram stories.

Livvy

Deputy Editor

THE word feminism is often thrown around, but if looking for a definition, you’ll definitely find one in Emma Watson. From a young age, Watson played the young witch Hermione Granger in Harry Potter , and certainly went against ste reotypes for women in her careful performance of Granger. She was outspoken, and markedly more intelligent and inquisitive than the rest of the characters, something which is still surprising for a woman. Like her character, Watson had already been criticised for being bossy and speaking her mind, at a young age, and this criticism lead to her becoming the women’s rights activist that we all know and love.

Her main advocacy is being a UN Goodwill Ambassador, and she has spoken about the gender pay gap many times, expressing that she thinks she should be “paid the same as her male counterparts” and that she believes that as a woman she should be able to “make decisions about my own body”, thus presenting herself as a role model for young women to grow up in a more equal world. Due to her being in the public eye at such a young age, Wat- son found herself being sexualised, and upon speaking out about this, found that most other women experience this as the norm, something which really shouldn’t be. Watson has used her media platform to speak about the issues and gaps in the modern world, to reach girls and young women around the world, and assure them that they are not alone in their struggles. She has visited lower income countries such as Bangladesh and Zambia, to educate women who otherwise wouldn’t get the education that they are entitled to. However, her work doesn’t just concern women, as she claims that gender inequality is everyone’s issue, broadening her audience once more. Though her various accolades are truly inspiring, it is her courageous words, and her genuine care for others, especially those less fortunate, that crafts her as a role model for girls and young women to look up to.

Amberly Wright