1- Lauren Sanderson

Lauren Sanderson is from my home state of Indiana. She is an up and coming artist and she has many motivational and inspirational tracks. I can always find myself listening to her music when I’m feeling stuck or need motivation. She has an overall inspirational vibe and I can always count on her message to motivate me to go after what I want.

2- Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson is one of my favorite historical figures. She was a trans woman of color and the one who threw the first brick that started the Stonewall Riots. The world is hard enough for people of color, let alone people of color who are also LGBTQ+. Marsha P. Johnson fiercely fought for LGBTQ+ rights.

3- Danielle Brooks

Danielle Brooks is an actress, mainly known from her role as “Taystee" on the popular show, Orange is the New Black. She inspires me because she is so confident. She is an advocate for body positivity and breaks beauty standards. She is a breath of fresh air because she is a plus-size woman of color. In the media, it is common for people of color and plus-size people to lack representation. For her to be out here doing her thing and knowing she is beautiful is inspiring. Even just scrolling through her instagram inspires me to be happy in my own skin.

4- Jackie Aina

Jackie Aina is a beauty youtube star. She frequently advocates for racial equality while also creating perfect makeup looks. She inspires me because there is a lot of negativity and hate in the makeup community and she offers a voice of positivity. She also speaks up for people of color and calls makeup companies out on not catering to people with darker skin. Her willingness to openly step up for what she believes in inspires me every day.

5- Loey Lane

Finally, I am inspired by Loey Lane. She is an advocate for body positivity and I have followed her on YouTube for about three or so years now. She is so fiercely and unapologetically herself and she inspires a very large youtube audience to do the same. I actually had the pleasure of meeting her once when she was in my home town for an ad campaign with a clothing store called Maurices. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met and she is so down to earth and just an all around lovely person. I told her about how she was able to help my self-image and she was so genuinely happy when I told her my body positivity story.

All of these people go the extra mile to make the world a better place and I appreciate them all so much. Without them I would not be living my happiest life or following my dreams.