Beyoncé: "I truly believe that women should be financially independent from their men. And let’s face it, money gives men the power to run the show. It gives men the power to define value. They define what’s sexy. And men define what’s feminine. It’s ridiculous."
Taylor Swift: "As a teenager, I didn’t understand that saying you’re a feminist is just saying that you hope women and men will have equal rights and equal opportunities. What it seemed to me, the way it was phrased in culture, society, was that you hate men. And now, I think a lot of girls have had a feminist awakening because they understand what the word means."
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark: “It is clear that gender equality is not recognized universally, and discrimination and gender-based violence continue to prevail in many societies. We need to address these issues from many angles in the new development agenda, and with a strong focus on adolescent girls. All girls should be able to complete their education – not get kicked out of school because they are pregnant or mothers, or because they live with HIV. All girls and women must be able to decide if, when and with whom to marry and have children. And for all of this, they need their rights recognized and they need access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, information and education. For many young people, the realization that they have rights comes as a revelation… They know they need this information. And they want it.”
Laverne Cox: "I was on the cover of TIME Magazine in June, and in the same month, four trans women of color were murdered in the United States. So just because I got an Emmy nomination doesn’t mean the lives of trans people aren’t in peril every day."
Zendaya: “There is already harsh criticism of African American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair. My wearing my hair in locs on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is goo enough.”
Rihanna: "When you realize who you live for, and who is important to please, a lot of people will actually start living. I am never going to get caught up in that. I’m gonna look back on my life and say that I enjoyed it - and that I lived it for me."
Nicki Minaj: "When you’re a girl, you have to be everything, You have to be dope at what you do, but you have to be super sweet, and you have to be sexy, and you have to be this and you have to be that and you have to be nice, and you have to - it’s like, I can’t be all of those things at once. I’m a human being."
[Former] Princess Ameerah of Saudi Arabia: "Many conservative men say ‘we don’t want women to work, we want her to maintain her dignity’. That’s not true [that] she’s not maintaining her dignity while working. So I think the main reason is fear from women and not for women, because they are afraid of women. We know what women are stronger than men in our society because they’re a minority and the minority usually wants to prove itself."
Queen Rania of Jordan: "A woman caring for her children; a woman striving to excel in the private sector; a woman partnering with her neighbors to make the streets safer; a woman running for office to improve her country - they all have something to offer, and the more our societies empower women, the more we receive in return."
Ariana Grande: “If you’re passionate about something then it will definitely work out for you. You should never stop believing in something, and you shouldn’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Never give up on something you love.”
