#strong women of history

[watchinglily]

Netflix movie about a Real African Warrior Queen

Amina

The movie is about Amina, a Queen who lived in the sixteenth century city-state Zazzau (known as Zaria, in Nigeria).

It's not known if she really ruled Zazzau, but if she did, then she really rocked!

The movie is definitely not historically accurate, it was made in the English language entirely and all, but it paints a cool picture of what her rule might've been like. Besides, I found it really fun to watch.

It's really inspiring to see a Warrior Queen, and I'm definitely a fan of these! As long as they are believable to me!

Definitely the best (and only one I remember) African badass queen movie I've ever seen so far!

Have fun!

[bebs-art-gallery]

Female Rage in Paintings

Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi | Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist by Caravaggio | Judith Beheading Holofernes by Caravaggio | Jael and Sisera by Alessandro Turchi | Judith with the Head of Holofernes by Louis Finson | Jael slays Sisera by Ottavio Vannini | Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes by Orazio Gentileschi | La Douce Résistance by Michel Garnier | Timoclea Kills the Captain of Alexander the Great by Elisabetti Sirani | Untitled by Jose Gabriel Alegría Sabogal | Salome Bearing the Head of Saint John the Baptist by an unknown copyist after c. 1631, originated from Guido Reni

[darkesttiimelines]

Throughout history, women have left an undeniable impact on society with their hard work, creativity, and dedication to progress. Unfortunately, their accomplishments have often gone unnoticed, been undervalued, or even stolen. Despite these challenges, brave women of today continue to push boundaries, break barriers, and pave the way for a more fair and equal world. It's our duty to keep going, so that future generations of women can inherit a kinder, more just, and supportive world. By following in the footsteps of the incredible women who came before us, we can create a world where every woman can flourish and succeed, and where their contributions are recognized and celebrated.

Joan of Arc is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronation of Charles VII of France during the Hundred Years' War. Claiming to be acting under divine guidance, she became a military leader who transcended gender roles and gained recognition as a savior of France. She was put on trial by Bishop Pierre Cauchon on accusations of heresy, which included blaspheming by wearing men's clothes, acting upon visions that were demonic, and refusing to submit her words and deeds to the judgment of the church. She was declared guilty and burned at the stake on 30 May 1431, aged about nineteen.

Rani Lakshmibai was the Maharani consort of the princely state of Jhansi from 1843 to 1853. She was one of the leading figures in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 became a symbol of resistance to the British rule in India for Indian nationalists. When the Maharaja died in 1853, the British East India Company under Governor-General Lord Dalhousie refused to recognize the claim of his adpoted heir and annexed Jhansi under the Doctrine of Lapse. She rode into battle with her infant son strapped to her back, and died in June 1858 after being mortally wounded during the British counterattack at Gwalior.

Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was instrumental in the discovery of the structure of DNA. Her contributions were largely overlooked by her male colleagues, James Watson and Francis Crick, who used her data without her permission or acknowledgement. This theft of her intellectual property and erasure of her contributions is a prime example of the systemic sexism that has historically plagued the scientific community.

Hedy Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress and inventor who co-invented a frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology during World War II that was used to guide torpedoes. However, her contributions were largely ignored and dismissed by male engineers and the military at the time. It was only later in life that she received recognition for her scientific achievements.

Emma Weyant is an American competitive swimmer. She was the US national champion at the individual medley. She qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in the 400m individual medley and won the silver medal in this event. Weyant finished second in the 500-yard freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. She was beaten by William (Lia) Thomas, a fetishist, who when competing as a member of the Penn men's team, which was 2018-19, ranked 554th in the 200 freestyle, 65th in the 500 freestyle and 32nd in the 1650 freestyle. Weyant is the fastest swimmer in the 500-yard freestyle and had her position stolen by a man.

Maryna Viazovska is a Ukrainian mathematician who made a breakthrough in sphere packing, solving the centuries-old mathematical problem known as the densest packing of spheres in dimensions 8 and 24. She was awarded the Fields Medal in July 2022, making her the second woman (after Maryam Mirzakhani), the second person born in the Ukrainian SSR and the first with a degree from a Ukrainian university to ever receive it.

Hannie Schaft was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who played a crucial role in the resistance movement against Nazi occupation. Schaft was a former university student who dropped out because she refused to sign a pledge of loyalty to Germany. Nazis arrested and killed her in 1945, just three weeks before the war ended in Europe. According to lore, Schaft’s last words were, “I’m a better shot,” after initially only being wounded by her executioner.

Shakuntala Devi was an Indian mathematician and mental calculator who was known as the "Human Computer" for her exceptional ability to perform complex mathematical calculations in her head. Her extraordinary abilities earned her a place in the 1982 Guinness Book of Records. Her lesser known achievement is that in 1977 she wrote what is considered to be the first book in India on homosexuality titled “The World of Homosexuals.”  

J. K. Rowling is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote Harry Potter, a seven-volume children's fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. Known for her philanthropy, she was doxxed and harassed after coming out with support for women's and gay rights in 2020. Rowling secretly donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to save 100 female lawyers and their families facing murder in Afghanistan. In 2022, she funded a women's only rape shelter in Edinburgh.

[isawthismeme]

Black people and women have been overqualified for every position in America since July 3rd, 1776. It is the progress of white people and of men to finally get over their racism and misogyny that is allowing people into those spaces. Remember that.

[imaplatypus-art]

Katara 💦.

US shop: https://ko-fi.com/s/5d7ae84c2b

I was thinking I should share a strong woman for woman's history month 💪.

ATLA is a great example of female empowerment, and it's not the kind that shoves it in your face. 👌 I've been watching OG ATLA a lot lately. There's a free channel on our tv that's only been playing it recently XD it's supposed to be TMNT channel lol.

[mimi-0007]

Yes .. We are🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[miasmultifandomdump]

It's so funny to me when certain people think they're doing something so revolutionary by having female pirates. Like they invented the concept.

My guy, women were pirates. Zheng Yi Sao was one of the most successful pirates (or the most successful? can't remember) and she was a woman. Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Gráinne Ní Mháille, Sayyida al-Hurra, all women.

Going on and on about the gender of the pirates is annoying. You should actually flesh them out. Your female characters are still people and if all they can do is bring up their gender, it gets old after a while.

[scotianostra]

July 13th 1900 saw the birth of Elizabeth “Bessie” Watson in Edinburgh.

Born just off the Grassmarket, at 11 The Vennel to Agnes Newton and Horatio Watson, Bessie did not take long to make her mark in the world, at the tender age of 9 she combined her two greatest loves: bagpiping and woman’s suffrage, the latter makes her arguably the youngest in Scotland, if not the world.

When she turned seven, Bessie’s aunt Margaret contracted tuberculosis – an incident which would change the youngster’s life forever. Margaret lived with the family, and Bessie’s parents, worried that she might fall ill to the contagious disease, encouraged her to take up the bagpipes in a bid to strengthen her weak lungs. Her first set of pipes was specially-produced according to her diminutive stature as she was too small to properly inflate an adult-sized bag. The half-sized set of pipes was purchased from Robertson’s pipe makers at 58 Grove Street. “I hurried home from school and carried it, in a brown paper parcel down to my (music) teacher”, Bessie recalled. As one of the very few female bagpipe players in the world at that time – not to mention one of the youngest – Bessie took to her new instrument with great enthusiasm.

Bessie had more than her bag pipe playing to make her worthy of a post here, while walking with her mother through the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland, Bessie stopped to look at the window of the Women’s Social and Political Union office. Bessie became excited about the idea of women receiving the right to vote, even though she wouldn’t be able to vote for many years.

Bessie realized that her talents could help promote votes for women. She would run from school each day to play her bagpipes outside of the Calton Jail in Edinburgh for fellow suffragettes in prison.

At the first suffrage pageant she performed at, she wore a sash with the words “Votes for Women” as she performed with her bagpipes. At the height of the suffragette movement, Bessie was playing at major demonstrations and parades for the Women’s Social and Political Union, including the famous procession through Edinburgh on 9th October 1909. On that day a large crowd watched as hundreds of banner-laden ladies, wearing the suffragist colours of purple, white and green, marched down Princes Street before congregating at Waverley Market for a rally led by Emmeline Pankhurst. Watson rode on a float beside a woman dressed as Isabella Duff, Countess of Buchan in her cage! Isabella is famed for crowning Robert the Bruce at Scone when he seized the Scottish crown, she was later captured with the Bruce family and held prisoner in a cage in the open air at Berwick for four years.

Back to oor Bessie, who just a ten year-old she travelled to London to play her bagpipes in a women’s march on June 17th, 1911. J ust a few weeks later, for George’s state visit to Edinburgh, Bessie, leading the 2nd Edinburgh Company of the Girl Guides, received recognition from the king himself as she raised her salute. Having secured regal acknowledgement in time for her 11th birthday, Scotland’s youngest female piper continued in her quest to support women’s rights, accompanying inmates bound for Holloway Prison to Waverley Station and playing the pipes as their trains departed.

For the part she played in Edinburgh’s historic women’s rights pageant of 1909, young Bessie received a special gift from one very prominent individual. Christabel Pankhurst (daughter of Emmeline) came to Edinburgh to address a meeting at the King’s Theatre and Bessie was invited to attend. During the evening she was presented with a brooch representing Queen Boadicea (Boudica) in her chariot, as a token of gratitude for her help in the pageant.

During WWI, Bessie was just a teenager and used her talents to make a difference in other ways. She began helping the Scots Guard to recruit army volunteers by playing her bagpipes

In 1926 Bessie moved with her parents to a new house on Clark Road, Trinity where she would remain for the rest of her days. Following her marriage to electrical contractor John Somerville at the end of the Second World War, Bessie devoted her life to teaching music and foreign languages. Former neighbours recall that, even into her late eighties, Bessie continued to play her bagpipes at 11am every morning. It was something she had always done.

Bessie died in 1992, two and a half weeks short of her 92nd birthday. Over the course of her long life she had experienced almost a century of social progression and upheaval, and had played her part in changing the world for the better.

A pictorial tribute was unveiled at The Vennel in Edinburgh on August 1st 2019 in memory of Bessie, the University of Edinburgh also have a lecture room named in her honour.

[nickysfacts]

Aphrodite Areia, the feminine goddess of war!🚺

🏺⚔️🏺

Thank you @thisismisogynoir so much for telling me about her💜

[csuitebitches]

Launching My Free Newsletter!

I’ve been receiving a lot of support from everyone following my blog/ liking my content, which I’m very grateful and appreciative of. Because of your support, I’ve decided to go ahead and launch a free newsletter based on my two articles: On Being Well Read and On Being Well Spoken.

“Uncultured” will be a weekly newsletter, delivered to your email every week.

In it, you will receive 3 short articles on topics that can enrich and cultivate your mind. It will be bite-sized information that will take you not more than 10 minutes or so to read.

The aim is to keep it so simple than even someone who dislikes reading will not mind spending a few minutes of their week reading and learning something new.

Why the name “Uncultured?”

I thought it would be ironic to name a culture newsletter that, instead of a dainty, polished name. In my culture you’ll also hear : “you’re so uncultured!” as a reprimand very often from our older generations, so its a bit of a play on words.

My content will include:

Luxury and travel

Business and start ups (interesting start ups, economics, a little bit of finance and real estate)

History and culture (such as art, wines, architecture, different cultures across the globe)

Summarising academic articles I’ve read in an easier language

What Uncultured is NOT about:

Political statements

Heavy reads

Jargons

Making my readers pay for anything - this will be absolutely free

Uncultured will launch on 8th January, 2023.

You can sign up here: Sign Up!

[huntawitch]

Muscular women🤍

[mortheim]

Vasilisa Mikulishna - my favorite bogatyr

I will be honest with you - strong women are my weak spot. And I don't mean only physically - but in their principles, intelligence and maturity. In my childhood, I had several favorite characters - some wre obviously male, but among my top three would be two femalre heroines - one is Mulan and about the other one I want to talk today. People who are familiar with Slavic and Russian folklore knowabout Bogatyrs. Bogatyrs are the mighty warrior heroes known for their strength, bravery, and unwavering loyalty. These legendary knights, like Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich, are celebrated for their heroic deeds and battles against evil forces. But less people know about their female counterparts who not only in no way inferior, but often even superior to their male peers. Among these legendary heroines, one stands out for me - Vasilisa Mikulishna.

Tale of Vasilisa Mikulishna

Vasilisa Mikulishna is dughter of Mikula Selyanovich - a bogatry known for his principle that you can wield power, but you shouldn't use it until it is necessary. She is celebrated as a clever and daring heroine. Vasilisa is wife of Stavr Godinovich, a nobleman who boasts of her intelligence and beauty, claiming she could outwit the mightiest of men. When Stavr’s pride lands him in trouble, leading to his imprisonment by prince Vladimir, Vasilisa decides to take matters into her own hands.

Disguising herself as a young warrior, Vasilisa dons armor and rides to Kiev, the capital, where she introduces herself as a foreigner (in one version - as a Tatar ambassador, in another - Polish prince). Her wit and wisdom quickly capture the attention of Prince Vladimir, who challenges her to various tests of strength and intellect. Vasilisa excels in each challenge, proving her abilities and earning the prince’s respect.

Rescue

The highlight of Vasilisa Mikulishna’s tale is her ingenious rescue of Stavr. There are two versions of what happens nest. In the first one, after impressing Prince Vladimir, she reveals her true identity and demands her husband’s release. Vladimir, impressed by her bravery and loyalty, grants her request. Vasilisa’s actions demonstrate not only her physical prowess but also her intelligence and strategic thinking, traits that set her apart in the world of Slavic folklore. In another one, Vasilisa misleads him, demands Zabava Putyatichna as her wife, and at the wedding feast this "Tatar ambassador" says that "court gusliars are bad" and demands to bring Stavr. She takes Stavr with her, leaves and then reveals herself to her husband, after which Vasilisa and Stavr go to Chernigov (or to Lithuania - in another version).

A Symbol of Strength and Wisdom

Vasilisa Mikulishna is more than just a warrior - she embodies the spirit of resourcefulness, loyalty, and equality. While being strong, she doesn't use brute force to save her husband and uses her wit to outsmart Kievan prince.

There is also a Soviet animation about this legend. It is somewhat good.

Also, if you know the artists of some of the pictures above - I would be grateful for the link! I couldn't tack those images :(

[mental-mona]

Strong women don’t have 'attitudes.' We have standards.

- Marilyn Monroe

[queerquaintrelle]

Mutiny Madams

A playlist dedicated to the women of TURN: Washington's Spies and by extension the American Revolution.

Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys

She Used to Be Mine - Sara Bareilles

Spies - Coldplay

Your Best American Girl - Mitski

Freedom - Beyonce

Pretty for a Dark Girl - Lulu Fall

I'm Not Calling You A Liar - Florence + The Machine

The Ballad of Deborah Samson - performed by Diane Tarez

The Old Therebefore - Rachel Zegler

Nothing You Can Take From Me - Rachel Zegler

[mimi-0007]

@AfroGoats Instagram check them out!!

[rockislandadultreads]

Women's History Month: Historical Fiction Recommendations

Celebrate Women's History Month by checking out these historical fiction picks!

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict

Between the World Wars, the six Mitford sisters dominate the English political, literary, and social scenes. Though they've weathered scandals before, the family falls into disarray when Diana divorces her husband to marry a fascist leader and Unity follows her sister's lead, inciting rumors that she's become Hitler's own mistress. Novelist Nancy Mitford is the only member of her family to keep in touch with Diana and Unity after their desertion, so it falls to her to act when her sisters become spies for the Nazi party. 

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot. For you understood something long ago that the others never did. If power isn't given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik

All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh is told that Iranian daughters should be quiet and modest. She is taught only to obey, but she always finds ways to rebel. It’s during the summer of 1950 that Forugh’s passion for poetry really takes flight - and that tradition seeks to clip her wings. Forced into a suffocating marriage, Forugh runs away and falls into an affair that fuels her desire to write and to achieve freedom and independence. Forugh’s poems are considered both scandalous and brilliant, and the power of her writing only grows stronger amid the upheaval of the Iranian revolution. 

The President's Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood

Socialite Edith Bolling has been in no hurry to find a new husband since she was widowed, preferring to fill her days with good friends and travel. But the enchanting courting of President Woodrow Wilson wins Edith over and she becomes the First Lady of the United States. While uncomfortable for the fiercely independent Edith, she soon warms to the new role and is soon indispensable to her husband's presidency. When Woodrow's delicate health takes a dramatic turn for the worse, she all but assumes the presidency herself in order to preserve both his progress and his reputation.