Skip to content

Top Navigation

InStyle InStyle
  • News
    • All Fashion
    • Clothing
    • Accessories
    • Street Style
    • Look of the Day
    • Fashion Week
    • Future Of Fashion
    • All Celebrity
    • Awards and Events
    • Celebrity Transformations
    • TV Shows
    • Movies
    • Music
    • All Beauty
    • Makeup
    • Best Beauty Buys
    • Health & Fitness
    • Skincare
    • All Hair
    • Celeb Hairstyles
    • Color Ideas
    • Long Hairstyles
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Short Hairstyles
    • All Natural
    • All Lifestyle
    • Astrology
    • Travel
    • Weddings
    • Books
    • Food and Drink
    • Home and Decorating
    • Well, Well, Well
    • All Politics & Social Issues
    • President Joe Biden
    • Dr. Jill Biden
    • Vice President Kamala Harris
    • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
    • Women in Politics
    • Women's Movements
    • Moms
    • Equal Pay
    • Badass Women
    • Career
    • Charity
    • All Pop Culture
    • TV Shows
    • Movies
    • Books
    • Music
    • Social Media
  • About InStyle

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Pin FB

Explore InStyle

InStyle InStyle
  • Explore

    Explore

    • If the Coastal Grandmother Trend Isn't for You, How About Its Alternative, Fancy Grandma?

      If the Coastal Grandmother Trend Isn't for You, How About Its Alternative, Fancy Grandma?

      It's just as comfy but a tad more exciting. Read More
    • It Seems Like Everyone Has False Lashes These Days — Here's Why

      It Seems Like Everyone Has False Lashes These Days — Here's Why

      There's a reason why they're trending. Read More
    • 8 Ways to Wear a Sheer Lace Dress, According to Stylists

      8 Ways to Wear a Sheer Lace Dress, According to Stylists

      The pros are weighing in on this trick, celeb-loved trend. Read More
  • News
  • Fashion

    Fashion

    See All Fashion
    This Easy Guide Is the Trick to Finding Your Signature Fashion Color

    This Easy Guide Is the Trick to Finding Your Signature Fashion Color

    It's all about your skin's undertones.
    • Clothing
    • Accessories
    • Street Style
    • Look of the Day
    • Fashion Week
    • Future Of Fashion
  • Celebrity

    Celebrity

    See All Celebrity
    The Best Beauty Looks From The 2022 Met Gala Scream Gilded Age

    The Best Beauty Looks From The 2022 Met Gala Scream Gilded Age

    Big hair, tiaras, and gold lids — oh my!
    • Awards and Events
    • Celebrity Transformations
    • TV Shows
    • Movies
    • Music
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See All Beauty
    The Dos and Don'ts of Mixing Skincare Ingredients

    The Dos and Don'ts of Mixing Skincare Ingredients

    Plus, when and how to use them.
    • Makeup
    • Best Beauty Buys
    • Health & Fitness
    • Skincare
  • Hair

    Hair

    See All Hair
    How to Get the Wet Look Without Making Your Hair Feel Crunchy

    How to Get the Wet Look Without Making Your Hair Feel Crunchy

    It's really quite simple.
    • Celeb Hairstyles
    • Color Ideas
    • Long Hairstyles
    • Medium Hairstyles
    • Short Hairstyles
    • All Natural
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    See All Lifestyle
    The One Nail Polish Color Your Zodiac Sign Should Wear for Taurus Season — and Why

    The One Nail Polish Color Your Zodiac Sign Should Wear for Taurus Season — and Why

    Leos should wear glitter, of course.
    • Astrology
    • Travel
    • Weddings
    • Books
    • Food and Drink
    • Home and Decorating
    • Well, Well, Well
  • Politics & Social Issues

    Politics & Social Issues

    See All Politics & Social Issues
    50 Badass Change Makers

    50 Badass Change Makers

    The world may feel heavy at the start of 2022, but this list of change makers has us optimistic for brighter days to come.
    • President Joe Biden
    • Dr. Jill Biden
    • Vice President Kamala Harris
    • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
    • Women in Politics
    • Women's Movements
    • Moms
    • Equal Pay
    • Badass Women
    • Career
    • Charity
  • Pop Culture

    Pop Culture

    See All Pop Culture
    17 Unforgettable Rachel Green Outfits You Could (and Should) Still Wear Today

    17 Unforgettable Rachel Green Outfits You Could (and Should) Still Wear Today

    From plaid skirts to slip dresses, we're ready to copy it all.
    • TV Shows
    • Movies
    • Books
    • Music
    • Social Media
  • About InStyle

Profile Menu

Join Now

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Celebrity
  3. 11 Famous Women on Female Empowerment

11 Famous Women on Female Empowerment

By Jane Asher Updated Jan 17, 2017 @ 5:15 pm
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Famous Women on Female Empowerment - LEAD
Credit: C Flanigan/FilmMagic; Nicholas Hunt/WireImage; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan

This Saturday, hundreds of thousands will descend on Washington for the historic Women's March. Celebrities like Lena Dunham, America Ferrera, Amy Schumer, Zendaya, and Uzo Abuda are joining the cause–making up the march's "Artist Table." 

So many female comedians, actors, performers, directors, and writers have thrived in the male-dominated Hollywood, giving us hope for the future of women's rights–and, in the process, also providing us with empowering quotes to live by. Here, we celebrate the powerful women who are determined to change the conversation and fight for true gender equality around the globe. 

VIDEO: 9 Male Celebrities Who Are Feminists and Proud

RELATED: See What InStyle Cover Girls Have to Say About Women's Rights

Scroll down below to see the most empowering quotes on feminism and women's rights from some of our favorite women in Hollywood. 

Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Emma Watson

Emma Watson
Credit: Nicholas Hunt/WireImage

Watson first launched her gender equality campaign, HeForShe, back in 2014, introducing the initiative in a speech at the UN Headquarters. "We want to try and galvanize as many men and boys as possible to be advocates for gender equality." She has remained steadfast in her fight for gender equality, famously saying in 2015: "If you stand for equality, then you’re a feminist." Most recently, she spoke at the UN General Assembly in 2016, tackling sexual violence in universities: "The [university] experience must make it clear that the safety of women, minorities, and anyone who may be vulnerable, is a right, not a privilege. A right that will be respected by a community that believes and supports survivors and that recognizes that when one person’s safety is violated, everyone feels their own safety is violated." You go, girl. 

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Beyoncé

Beyoncé
Credit: C Flanigan/FilmMagic

Before she displayed the word "FEMINIST" in big bold letters during her Mrs. Carter tour, Bey penned an essay for the Shriver Report on why gender equality is a myth: "We need to stop buying into the myth about gender equality. It isn’t a reality yet," she wrote.  "We have to teach our boys the rules of equality and respect, so that as they grow up, gender equality becomes a natural way of life ... We have a lot of work to do, but we can get there if we work together. Women are more than 50 percent of the population and more than 50 percent of voters. We must demand that we all receive 100 percent of the opportunities." 

2 of 11

3 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence
Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

In 2015, Lawrence wrote an essay for Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter, entitled, "Why Do I Make Less Than My Male Co‑Stars?" A Sony email hack in 2014 revealed that while she and her female co-star in American Hustle, Amy Adams, received seven percent of backend profits for the movie and their male co-stars (Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Renner) all made nine percent. "I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn't want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don't need," she said. "But if I'm honest with myself, I would be lying if I didn't say there was an element of wanting to be liked that influenced my decision to close the deal without a real fight. I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled,'" Lawrence wrote. "At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled.'"

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Tina Fey

Tina Fey
Credit: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan

"Bitches get stuff done," Fey once said on Saturday Night Live, proving that brevity is also the soul of being a boss. 

4 of 11

5 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer
Credit: George Pimentel/WireImage

"I am a woman with thoughts and questions and shit to say," Schumer said at the Gloria Awards and Gala, hosted by the Ms. Foundation for Women in 2014. "I say if I'm beautiful. I say if I'm strong. You will not determine my story—I will. I will speak and share and fuck and love and I will never apologize to the frightened millions who resent that they never had it in them to do it. I stand here and I am amazing, for you. Not because of you. I am not who I sleep with. I am not my weight. I am not my mother. I am myself. And I am all of you, and I thank you."

5 of 11

6 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Patricia Arquette

Patricia Arquette
Credit: Todd Williamson/Getty

Arquette made her stance on wage inequality clear while accepting the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress back in 2015 for her work in Boyhood: "To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights, it's our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women of the United States of America." Her speech got a standing ovation from the one and only Meryl Streep. 

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Adele

Adele
Credit: Dave J Hogan/Getty

"I'm a feminist," she proudly proclaimed in an interview with Rolling Stone. "I believe that everyone should be treated the same, including race and sexuality," and revealed that she has encountered plenty of "what do you know?" moments during business meetings. "It's like, 'Well, I'm the f—ing artist,'" she said. "'So I f—ing know everything, actually! Like, don't f—ing talk down to me!'" Reason number 487 Adele is our spirit animal.

7 of 11

8 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Poehler provided many applause-worthy quotes on being a feminist in her 2014 memoir, Yes Please, including this gem: "Let me take a minute to say I love bossy women. Some people hate the word, and I understand how 'bossy' can seem like a s—tty way to describe a woman with a determined point of view, but for me, a bossy woman is someone to search out and to celebrate." 

8 of 11

9 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

You'd be hard-pressed to find a quote from Lena Dunham that doesn't address feminist issues. While speaking at the 2015 Hollywood Reporter Annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast, the actress powerfully said, "It's our job now … to take the next step to support each other, to support younger generations … as women on a ‘power list’ it is our duty and also our privilege to transfer that power onto marginalized people with stories to tell ... I am advocating for all of us here to make it our mission to use our resources to turn this around as a team to consider women, women of color, LGBTQ people, not just tell their stories but to tap them for jobs that we have historically accepted as being done by white dudes in polar fleeces. It's the right thing to do and it’s the only thing to do."

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Jenny Slate

Jenny Slate
Credit: Araya Diaz/WireImage

The funny woman behind everyone's favorite stop-animation video, "Marcell the Shell with Shoes On" (among many other movies and TV shows), told MTV, "Am I a feminist? F—k yeah, I'm a feminist. I think that unfortunately, people who are maybe threatened by feminism think that it's about setting your bra on fire and being aggressive, and I think that's really wrong and really dangerous."

10 of 11

11 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Rashida Jones

Rashida Jones
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

In an interview with InStyle, Jones said, "I’ve never been made to feel that being a woman was a handicap. I’m very proud of my womanhood, and I find strength in being surrounded by ladies. I grew up with sisters—our age range spans 40 years. So I lived with a very diverse group of personalities, and we formed a very tight bond as a result." And her biggest piece of advice to young girls out there: "You are complex, and you are multidimensional. The sooner you start to embrace that, the sooner you’ll be OK with yourself." 

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Jane Asher

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 11 Emma Watson
    2 of 11 Beyoncé
    3 of 11 Jennifer Lawrence
    4 of 11 Tina Fey
    5 of 11 Amy Schumer
    6 of 11 Patricia Arquette
    7 of 11 Adele
    8 of 11 Amy Poehler
    9 of 11 Lena Dunham
    10 of 11 Jenny Slate
    11 of 11 Rashida Jones

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    InStyle

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Accolades Licensing
    • Content Licensing

    Connect

    Follow Us
    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Sign Up
    MeredithInStyle is part of the Meredith Beauty Group. © Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. InStyle may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright InStyle. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.instyle.com

    View image

    11 Famous Women on Female Empowerment
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.