The Life Lessons We Learned From 9 Fearless People

Celebrity
by HB Team |
Wed, 20 Jun 2018

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Whether it’s starting a platform for people to be open and honest, trying to change the future of the planet or just teaching us to be kind to ourselves, there’s a lot of amazing people we can all learn from. So, we thought we’d take a second to give a major shout out to these MEGA babes who have been sprinkling positive vibes and sparking diversity and acceptance all over the world. Here’re nine people making 2018 a better year and teaching us a thing or two at the same time:

Patrick Starrr: Embrace who you are and be fierce while you do it

Beauty blogger and YouTuber, Patrick Starrr, gives us so much life on a daily basis and has built himself an empire fueled by his unique beauty. If he’s not coming out with some majorly iconic quotes, he’s challenging the beauty and gender norms, proving that beauty comes in all forms, and helping his viewers feel more comfortable in their own skin. He’s earned himself a collaboration with MAC, as well as makeup tutorials with celebs like Kim K and Katy Perry! And did we mention he does everything with next-level sass?

Leonardo DiCaprio: Find something you believe in and fight for it


Not only is Leo one of the most legendary Hollywood actors, but he’s also a force of nature, using his heartthrob status to maximum impact, bringing the issue of climate change into our everyday dialogue, both on and off the screen. Ever since founding his organization, the Leonardo Dicaprio Foundation in 1988, he has dedicated his life to climate change, funding projects on all earth-related problems from vulnerable wildlife to restoring the balance in ecosystems (it seems being attacked by an iceberg really got to him – thanks Titanic)!

Ru Paul: Never be afraid to break boundaries


Ru Paul, singer, actor, author, and of course, host of the Emmy award-winning reality TV series, Ru Paul’s Drag Race, which brought drag queens (and in turn our fav makeup technique, baking) into modern-day pop culture. With his signature tagline, “We’re born naked and the rest is drag,” he inspires so many people (not just drag queens) to be the most extra version of themselves and pretty much be whoever you want to be, despite how you may look – now that’s a pretty amazing message!

Amal Clooney: You can always make a change, it doesn’t matter how small it is

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Although many people may know Amal Clooney as “George Clooney’s wife”, she continues to inspire us for her humanitarian activism. Taking on human rights’ cases, which many lawyers would dismiss as lost cases, she perseveres for causes that she believes in – from defending heads of state that have been wrongly dismissed to the victims of genocide and sexual trafficking. Teaching us just how important standing up for what you believe in really is.

Malala Yousafi: Never give up no matter what life throws at you

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If you’ve ever felt like you’ve hit a wall and are struggling to find the motivation to persevere, then look to Malala for inspiration. Nothing could convince her that she or any other girl was undeserving of education, and after being shot in the head on her way to school, this only fueled her belief. After her recovery, she began campaigning for the educational rights of young girls worldwide, creating the ‘Malala Fund’, a foundation devoted to her cause. This led her to become the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Laureate for her activism. And yet, despite this monumental success, she humbly insists that she tells her story “not because it’s unique but because it’s not. It’s the story of many girls.”

Adwoa Aboah: Don’t keep things bottled up, it’s always better to talk it out

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In 2018, the responsibility of being a model surpasses taking on an iconic image; with the rise of social media, their influence, their voice, and their message can reach millions of people, and Adwoa Aboah realizes that. Since founding her organization Gurls Talk on Instagram in 2015 (which is now a permanent blog space), Adwoa created a safe space for women to talk about mental health, sex, and the societal pressures women face. Speaking openly on her own struggles with depression and refusing to accept the preconceived stereotype of beauty, Adwoa encourages women to share their stories, and by doing so, empower others. She’s an inspiration to all women.

Nikita Dragun: Listen to your inner voice, and don’t let anyone shout you down


Beauty blogger and Instagram extraordinaire, Nikita Dragun is a major champion for the LGBT community. Documenting her life and her transition from male to female, not only is she fierce AF but she is quite rightly, unapologetic for who she is, and we love her for it. Sharing everything from before and after pictures to documenting her surgery, Nikita lets people of all sexual and gender orientations gain insight into the life of a trans woman, in an effort to normalize the trans world and remove the stigma that surrounds it.

Shailene Woodley: Always fight for what’s right no matter how long it takes

i’ve been trying to find the right words for a week now… the right words to accurately describe what this years @goldenglobes meant to me. what it meant to walk that carpet hand in hand with my sister @calinalawrence as she spoke so fearlessly and gracefully about the realities indigenous women live with day in and day out. what it meant to wear responsible jewels from @forevermarkusa who donated a generous amount to @timesupnow. what it meant to witness hundreds of my colleagues & peers wear black in an effort to visually represent the unification of our voices & intentions. what it meant to witness an industry that for so long has been divided by competition, fear, ego, jealousy, comparison (all products of patriarchal conditioning) radically put aside these destructive paradigms in order to unite & heal. what it meant to witness that fiery truth @oprah shared in person while tears streamed down the cheeks of her audience. what it meant to see so many men standing tall & listening earnestly to women who for so long have been silenced-to see them genuinely care to help heal these scars both genders bare. from the week i took to process it all, i suppose i can say this: it meant that my children have a shot at growing up in a world where women, and men, across ALL industries put their seeming differences aside in order to support one another’s healing. it meant that we are learning to remove labels & stand united no matter what cloak we wear. it meant that we are slowly but surely ushering in sacred matriarchy. it meant that we are living in a time where our voices can be used to carry & amplify all those songs our ancestors sung as they too fought their battles & sacrificed their lives for us. it meant that we are realizing, divine love. to all of the artists who won last sunday: congratulations. thank you for moving us to our cores. & to all the people who stood in solidarity (& continue to) in the @timesupnow movement, thank you for your hearts. we’re only at the bottom summit of this mountain called Healing, but hey, we gotta start somewhere. and, this is what we were made for. we were born to do this shit.

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Actress Shailene Woodley epitomizes the word activist, refusing to limit herself or her voice to one particular topic. Most recently known for role in the award-winning all-female series ‘Big Little Lies’ she continues to support the important #metoo movement, as well as championing for environmental issues and other minorities groups. Possibly most notably when she protested for a pipeline in North Dakota and was arrested, yet refused to let her celebrity detract from the cause. In an essay for Time Magazine, she notes “it took me, a white non-native woman being arrested on Indigenous Peoples’ Day to bring this cause to many people’s attention.”

Yara Shahidi: Never underestimate the power of your voice


American-Iranian actress Yara Shahidi could be the one the most current, social voices in young Hollywood right now. Having risen to fame in sitcom, Blackish, she now has her own spin-off series Grownish. Yet between life on set, she also attends Harvard and uses her platform to encourage political and social engagement among her peers. Founding an initiative titled Eighteen x 18 she’s emboldening her peers to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. When she recently took part in Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul conversations, Oprah told Yara that her “future is so bright it burns my eyes.” All we’re saying is Oprah is almost always right!

We hope you guys are as inspired by these incredible people as we are. Let us know in the comments below who inspires you on a daily basis.