10 new feminist icons you should definitely follow this year

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 13: Aly Raisman backstage at Olay’s “Face Anything” New York Fashion Week Make-Up Free Runway Show on September 13, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Olay)

Aly Raisman

Most of us know Aly Raisman as the two-time Olympian gymnast who not only was a member of the “Fierce Five” in 2012 and the “Final Five” in 2016, but she was a captain, showcasing her leadership skills to the entire world. A couple years later, she became a leader in a different way for a large population of America when she went on trial for Larry Nassar’s assault allegations.

Not only is she proving that women are strong, powerful, and can do anything that men can do (and with heels on), but she’s proving that speaking up about an issue is the only way to fix anything. Raisman never wanted to be in the position she is in now but she has since become a powerhouse for women dealing, coping, and battling with sexual abuse and assault.

She first took the entire world by storm when she stepped into that gym many years ago. She then took feminists everywhere by storm when she walked into that courtroom. She’s someone to look up to in all aspects of her life and we’re lucky to have her in this community.

Even though the terrors of what her life once was are over, it looks like she’s not going anywhere when it comes to making all women feel safe in any workplace.

"“I think it’s also OK to be angry. I think, as women, we’re always told that you just have to be very nice and sweet, and you can’t be angry. […] I just feel like child sexual abuse, and women being abused or sexually assaulted, is at the bottom of the list for certain law enforcement and authorities.” – Aly Raisman"