A Year Of Inspiration
August 2nd marked the one year anniversary of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue hit newsstands. Guest edited by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the issue featured fifteen women who are “Forces For Change” in the world. Reading the issue from cover to cover I felt something shift inside me. For too long I had remained silent out of fear of being too contentious, that people would say I had no right to speak, that I would simply be ignored. Inspired by these “Forces For Change” I decided right there at a train station cafe in Amsterdam that no longer would I be silenced by fear- fear of being too controversial and of being ignored.
As the year went on, when I needed a jolt of inspiration I would turn to the pages of British Vogue. I repeatedly read the stories of Adwoa Aboah, Adut Akech, Ramla Ali, Jacinda Ardern, Sinéad Burke, Gemma Chan, Laverne Cox, Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek Pinault, Francesca Hayward, Jameela Jamil, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Yara Shahidi, Greta Thunberg and Christy Turlington Burns, finding new nuggets of inspiration each and every time. These women are unstoppable, they are powerful. They have changed the world, they certainly changed mine.
What’s changed exactly? After calling out world leaders at the U.N. Climate Action Summit where she famously exclaimed “how dare you”, Greta Thunberg was chosen as TIME magazine’s youngest ever Person Of The Year in recognition for her environmental activism. Jameela Jamil and Sinéad Burke started podcasts where they talk to actors, activists, politicians and influencers about defining self worth and what it means to be them, confronting shame and biases head-on. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been praised as one of the most effective world leaders through the global pandemic. Yara Shahidi launched her own production company, 7th Sun, whose mission is “to pursue projects that touch upon themes of history, heritage, culture, and joy.” I could go on and on and on.
As for me? Well, for one thing, I started this blog. Its original purpose was to serve as a platform for me to advocate for accessible design in fashion industry but has expanded to allow me to advocate for disability rights in all aspects of life. Perfecting the cold email, I have taken multiple chances and reached out to people that inspire me and that I aspire to work with one day, internally (and often externally) freaking out when I get a response. I gained the confidence to post not just one but multiple pictures of myself in a sports bra (see the post “The Power Of Clothing”, something I would have never done even a few months ago let alone at this time last year.
Where do I see myself a year from now? I certainly don’t plan on stopping, that’s for sure. I will say that at present it feels like my brain is being flooded with too many ideas. Therefore, I am taking this time in quarantine to organize and prioritize. I know that I want to do more in the fashion industry and become a stronger advocate and ally. I’m certain I will keep reaching for that issue of British Vogue, whose pages are well worn, when I need some words of wisdom and to remind myself why I got started in the first place.
On the cover, there were 16 rectangles. 15 for each of these influential, dynamic, beautiful women. The 16th was a mirror “designed to encourage and inspire readers to use their own platform to make a difference”. Before I open the issue, I look in the mirror and tell myself that one day I will join these women as a force for change. I may not know how or when, but I know that it will happen.
