This International Women’s Day we wanted to hear from our kids about the women in their lives that inspire them, and who they admire.
International Women’s Day is all about raising awareness for gender equality, and celebrating the powerful women in our world. From scientists to Disney characters and sporting legends, here are some of the women our kids think are amazing – and we agree with them! Read until the end to see who was the hands-down favourite woman of every kiddo we spoke with. Here’s to International Women’s Day and celebrating all of the incredible, strong women in our lives – may we raise them, be them, and champion the changes we need to see in the world.
We asked kids: Who is your hero?
1. Elsa and Anna, Disney princesses who showed us the power of letting go, the importance of sisterhood, and women supporting women
When speaking with Sophie and Annabelle, both aged 5, about who they look up, they both gave a resounding ‘Elsa!’ Glorious gowns and magical powers aside, Elsa goes on a journey to find herself. She learns that she doesn’t need to make herself smaller to fit in with societies expectations, and this is something we want to champion. It was a great opportunity to talk to the girls about Anna as well. While she might not be sparkly and magical, it’s Anna who saves her sister with the power of unconditional love and unwavering support. We talked about how they are kind to each other and respect each other even when they have different opinions. Say what you will about Disney, we stan the Frozen sisters!
– Sophie and Annabelle, 5
2. Sharni Norder, former national netballer – when things get tough, the strong get tougher
We spoke with a tween about who inspires her for this International Women’s Day, and her answer was impressive. “I was so inspired by Sharni Norder, a famous netballer who visited our school recently. She fought so hard to be a part of the Australian team, and she had to overcome resistance from the coach. I want to build a career as an athlete too, so hearing about how she managed these differences and the hard times with her coach was really interesting. The training sounded hard and she was so dedicated for years to achieve her success. She also played AFL. Plus, she has a Commonwealth Games gold medal, which is pretty awesome.” We have to agree with you there!
– Emily, 12
3. Ms. Rachel, making the online world safer, fun and more inclusive
Remember the dark days of covid lockdowns? While we try to forget that ordeal, one of the best things to come out of the content creation boom of 2019 was Ms. Rachel. Rachel’s YouTube channel began as a means to create content and media resources for all babies and kids, including those with learning difficulties or special needs. Rachel and her broadway music director husband Aron’s son had a speech delay, and didn’t speak until he was 2 years old. They decided to work together to produce engaging musical videos that encouraged kids to learn and be active, even when stuck inside. Ms Rachel has gone on to thrive and inspire kids around the world, including 4 year old Sam, who has chosen her as his most inspiring lady.
– Sam, 4
4. Bluey, the animated pup teaching us all about love, kindness and acceptance
“I like how Bluey is a girl, and she’s blue. Girls can like blue too.” Six-year-old Chloe just hit the tip of the iceberg of things we love about this show. Bluey and her family are role models for all of us. The show brings the importance of imaginative play and family bonding to the forefront of every episode (except for The Sign – we had a few issues with that). There’s a genuine effort to avoid gender stereotyping here. Everyone is free to be who they are and be wholly accepted. Bluey herself is strong-willed and independent, makes mistakes and learns from them, and accepts her friends and their differences. We can all be inspired by Bluey this International Women’s Day and every day. Not gonna lie, we love her little sister Bingo and super-relatable mum Chili as well!
– Chloe, 6
5. Emily Calandrelli, a brilliant scientist forging her own path
For Jackson, seven years old, one of his favourite shows on Netflix is the very awesome ‘Emily’s Wonder Lab‘. Although it was cancelled after only one season, the show is on repeat in Jack’s household, because no matter how many times he sees the experiments unfold, ‘they are just so cool!’. Inspiring kids to learn about science, space and how our world works, Emily Calandrelli didn’t stop at a Netflix series (which she also happened to film while 30 weeks pregnant – so refreshing to see an expecting mama on screen this way!) Holding multiple STEM degrees and currently studying for her Master’s, she is the author of a range of explorative children’s books ‘The Ada Lace Adventures’ and the host of Xploration Outer Space. – Jackson, 7
6. Everyone’s number one: MUM!
The first woman our kids ever love, and the name that every kid we interviewed chose as their number one for this list. As mums, we carry so much of the mental load, physically caring for our babies and we are often the emotional support centre of our family unit. International Women’s Day is just a nice time to remind ourselves that being in the role of mum is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things we’ll ever do. We see you, we are you, and we are so proud of you!
Don’t forget to tell your mum you love her! Happy International Women’s Day, from all of us at HoneyKids Asia.
