For International Women’s Day 2023, the Discover Team wanted to highlight and honour the women who have inspired us as individuals. For resources and information on this years theme ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality‘, head to the bottom of our blog.
Emma Grinstead – App Content Administrator
I’m hugely inspired by people that make their success while staying completely true to who they are. In the entertainment industry it can be so easy to sacrifice parts of yourself for an opportunity, and the number of women told to change how they look and conduct themselves to be given those opportunities is heartbreaking.
Viola Davis grew up in extreme poverty, a situation no one could blame her for wanting to change, and by any means necessary. But Davis has carved an incredible career for herself by owning and celebrating the parts of herself she was told no one would want, by excelling in her craft, and being courageously open about the struggles she has faced – making women who break the stereotype for femininity in a multitude of ways feel seen, heard, represented and confident.
Tom Adams – App Content Administrator
A woman who never fails to inspire me is my big sister Lauren.
Growing up she always had my back; she would create worlds for us to play pretend in, soothe my scrapes and scabs and would choreograph dances for us to perform to our begrudging family. As we’ve gotten older she’s still my rock, my first port of call and my emergency contact. She was the first person I came out to and she’s held my hand every step of the way.
She’s worked so hard to get where she wants to be in life, so now I get to call her my cool sister who works in fashion. With every hurdle she rises to the occasion and her perseverance motivates me to reach for the stars. We’re a dynamic duo and I know without her I wouldn’t be half as proud, confident and stylish. She’s my soul-sister, my rival, my muse and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Georgia Heppelthwaite – Head of Communications
I find it particularly difficult to highlight just one woman who has inspired me and caused me to be the way I am so, if I had to choose, I would say Ruth, Jess & Mikki Heppelthwaite (my mum & two sisters).
Mama Heppelthwaite has always fought tirelessly to pave the way for female comedic actors in a male-dominated industry. A mission which has had it’s fair share of ups and downs, she faces struggles with strength to achieve results. Picking her battles and never allowing herself to be disregarded in a room she may previously have had to fight to be a part of.
Because my mum has been such a force in the industry, it has allowed both of my sisters to pursue their acting careers with that same strength and determination. All three of them inspire me and I don’t know where I’d be without them.
Emilia Quinn – Senior Account Manager
A woman who inspires me every day is my future wife. She is so empathetic, creative and resilient. She always reminds me to look after myself as well as our family and supports my goals. I love watching her work in her passion-driven career and achieve amazing things. Being a very female household (the only boy here is our bunny rabbit Hank) we know how empowering it is to thrive as a female-identifying person in this world and we love to empower each other. Everyday is women’s day at our place!
Ashleigh Dean – App Content Administrator
Literature is something that has always had an impact on society—whether it brings about a variety of adaptations in different forms of media, or simply sparks a class discussion. So, it would be a massive disrespect to discuss International Women’s Day, without giving credit to a woman of the literary world—specifically the author of a personal favourite novel that many people are familiar with.
Little Women is a novel that was published in 1868 by American author and poet, Louisa May Alcott. Unfortunately, like many women in the 19th Century, such as the well-known Brontë sisters, Alcott was forced to take up a pen name in order to get her works recognised and published. It wasn’t until the 1940s that it was discovered that the author A.M. Barnard was, in fact, Louisa May Alcott’s pseudonym. The name was used for the vast majority of her work, including her short stories and novels that centered around the themes of revenge and passion. It would, of course, have been frowned upon for women to discuss those topics, but luckily, the writer managed to find a loophole, giving a chance for her stories to be told.
As it turns out, Alcott’s family life and upbringing was a huge inspiration for the semi- autobiographical novel, Little Women. From the sibling rivalries to the heroine going against society by refusing marriage, the novel paints a detailed picture of what the author’s life was truly like.
Over the years, the novel has inspired many adaptations for film and television, theatre, and even a Japanese anime titled Tales of Little Women. Outside of her literary works, Alcott also managed to leave a lasting legacy by being a dedicated advocate for women’s suffrage, and assisted in the founding of the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, which aimed to help both women and children to advance in the industrial city.
Alcott was somebody who wasn’t fazed by society’s values and expectations, and instead went out of her way to achieve what she wanted. This is something that I have always aimed to put into practice in my everyday life. Women like her are the reason that women today are able to follow an educational path, and I quickly learned not to take that for granted, and worked hard to earn my Media degree.
Now that I have found myself working at a tech company—an industry primarily dominated by men—I can safely say that I am on the right path.
International Women’s Day 2023 Theme: DigitALL
As a business which actively supports women in tech, this years theme of ‘ DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.’ is close to home. To read more about how we can supercharge an equitable digital future, head over to this article by UN Women. We also recommend checking out this video and spreading the word to ‘encourage governments, activists and the private sector to #poweron their efforts to make the digital world safer, more inclusive and more equitable’.
To read more of our blogs and to check out the locations on the Discover App, click here
Download the Discover App to find everywhere to shop, eat and do in your area here