Women getting inspired by other women – that’s what we like! To celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, we’re shining the spotlight on those who have motivated us, taught us, and made us want to be better.
Women getting inspired by other women – that’s what we like! To celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, we’re shining the spotlight on those who have motivated us, taught us, and made us want to be better.
The comedic duo
TINA FEY AND AMY POEHLER
picked by: Her World’s lifestyle editor Tan Min Yan
“How could I mention one without the other? My favourite pair is proof that women are hilarious and can hold their own just fine in the male-dominated comedy circuit, thank you very much. While I have no aspirations for a similar career, it’d be amazing if I could emulate just half of the biting wit they have as writers on 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation in my own writing. I also love how they called out sexism in the entertainment industry at last year’s Golden Globes while introducing Boyhood, the movie that Patricia Arquette filmed over 12 years, when they quipped: ‘She’s proved that there are still great roles for women over 40 as long as you get hired when you’re under 40.’ One day, one day…”
The entrepreneur and fitness inspiration
LINDSAY JANG
picked by: Sandra Riley Tang, musician with The Sam Willows
“Other than my mum, the multi-talented Hong Kongbased Lindsay Jang is my fitness/ entrepreneur inspiration. She’s the founder of four extremely successful business ventures in Hong Kong (restaurants Yardbird, Ronin and Sunday’s Grocery, and women’s lifestyle and fitness platform Miss Bish). She is also the creative director of the Top fit gym, and a mother of two. Plus, she still has time to train to keep her body strong (just check out her Instagram @lindsayjang). What’s your excuse?”
The multi-hyphenate talent
FASHION BLOGGER MARGARET ZHANG
picked by: Her World’s beauty writer Charmaine Lee
“She juggles styling, hosting and photography gigs while pursuing a double degree in law and commerce. In her spare time, she updates her blog with her photography work, opinion editorials or personal outfit posts (shot by herself with a tripod and self-timer!). She’s constantly adapting to the ever-changing media landscape, and despite being just 22, she’s proven to be a real force in the fashion industry. I hope to have the same tenacity in pursuing my interests while staying true to myself.”
The cocktail icon
JULIE REINER, CO-OWNER OF CLOVER CLUB AND FLATIRON LOUNGE IN NEW YORK CITY
picked by: Gan Guo Yi, co-founder of Jigger & Pony, Sugarhall, Humpback, Gibson and The Flagship
“Not only is Julie a renowned bartender running several successful bars, she has a true passion for hospitality, which reflects my own beliefs and passions. To run such flourishing businesses in a competitive arena like New York is an incredible achievement, and her relentless determination, drive and passion for what she does are qualities I admire and gain inspiration from.”
The ever-active matriarch
SUSIE TAY
picked by: Her World’s features writer Aretha Loh
“At 84, my grandmother is fit, socially active, independent, and still working as a toilet-cleaning supervisor in a school. In her spare time, she takes English lessons (and exams), swims with girlfriends, or jets to Brisbane to visit my aunt. She’s very involved in grassroots activities too. She gave a speech at the Pasir Ris-Punggol PAP rally last year and invited Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and his team to her place for Christmas dinner. Yes, they turned up! I hope that when I’m in my 80s, I’ll be having as much fun as she is!”
The fashion legend
CAROLINA HERRERA
picked by: Tjin Lee, founder and CEO of Mercury Group and cofounder of social enterprise Crib
“I had the pleasure of working with Carolina during Singapore Fashion Week last year and was impressed by how she would greet everyone with a gracious smile, and be so hands-on backstage at shows, straightening collars and rolling up sleeves. Because of her, I’m never afraid to roll up my own sleeves and just go for it. She is proof to me that if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life!”
The Singapore inspiration
MADAM KWA GEOK CHOO
picked by: Edina Hong-Stroobant, marketing director of the Emmanuel Stroobant Group (which owns restaurants Brussels Sprouts and Saint Pierre)
“I was a great admirer of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, but I was equally inspired by his wife, the late Madam Kwa Geok Choo, who was a brilliant student and lawyer while juggling the responsibilities of being a mother and wife. I was enthralled by her ability to achieve all this – running a successful business (law firm Lee and Lee) and the household, raising her children and supporting her husband. Seeing how she effectively managed it all taught me not give in and to work smarter and harder.”
The girl-next-door celeb
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
picked by: KISS 92 FM DJ Charmaine Yee
“She’s a modern-day symbol for girls and women to look up to and feel good about themselves – I strive to do the same myself (on a smaller scale, of course!). Jennifer is a walking example of how important it is to laugh at yourself and see that life is way too short to take yourself too seriously. Also, I firmly agree with her belief that success doesn’t mean you work less, and it certainly doesn’t mean that you get to treat people – in typical J-Law interview-style lingo – like, well, s**t.”
A woman before her time
NANCY OON
picked by: Violet Oon, founder of Violet Oon Singapore and National Kitchen by Violet Oon
“As I get older, my mother Nancy Oon – with whom I used to disagree throughout my childhood and early adulthood – is becoming more and more my inspiration. She was a women’s libber at school in the ’30s, a strong believer that a woman is a person in her own right. After graduating from Raffles Girls’ School, she went on to the Joan Tooke’s Secretarial & Employment Agency to learn career skills in the early ’40s, became the secretary to then-Chief Minister David Marshall and later to the Governor of Malacca. It wasn’t until I shared stories with fellow Singaporeans that I realised what a precious heritage my late mother left me. Whatever trailblazing I have done started with her and my equally liberated late father!”
The local cooking doyenne
VIOLET OON
picked by: Tay Su-Lyn, co-founder of Violet Oon Singapore and National Kitchen by Violet Oon
“I also used to disagree with my mother all the time! But now that I have had the opportunity to work alongside her, I’ve been inspired by her amazing work ethic – how dedicated she is to giving her all in everything she does, and how committed she is to really doing justice to her work.”
