In case you missed it, a few weeks ago, someone (@xnulz) asked the people of Twitter to "name a bitch badder than Taylor Swift." So, the people of Twitter did what was asked of them, and they rattled off names and stories without skipping a beat. Not only did they name celebrities badder than Taylor, but many of them also named women they knew personally, whether it was a great-aunt, a grandma, a mom, etc.
This is not to throw shade on Taylor or discredit her talent - I won't lie, I listen to her music occasionally. This is merely to shed light on the women who deserve to be recognized for all of their accomplishments, who don't act like hypocrites, who actually work towards making a difference in this world, who can honestly be a role model for young women and girls everywhere. Sorry Taylor, but just because you sing and dance and star in music videos where you wear lots of makeup and change your outfit a few times doesn't mean you're a bad bitch.
These are by no means the only women badder than Taylor Swift, but it's a start:
1. Michelle Obama
What hasn't Michelle Obama done? In 2010, she launched the Let's Move! campaign to address the issue of childhood obesity. She passed The School Lunch program, which provides free and reduced-price meals for low-income children. She launched the Reach Higher Initiative in 2014, to help American youth complete their education and take charge of their future. In 2015, Michelle and Barack launch Let Girls Learn, a campaign to inspire and empower young women worldwide so that they can start and finish their education.
2. Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai should be a given. When she was 15, the Taliban shot Malala in the head because she was stood up for girls and their right to an education. When she was 17, Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history. Just a year later, when she was 18, Malala opened a school in Lebanon for Syrian refugee girls. Now 20, Malala continues to work as an activist for female education.
3. Rosa Parks
If you've never heard of Rosa Parks or learned about how amazing she is, please go redo your fourth grade History class. Miss Rosa Parks was a Civil Rights activist, and in 1955, she refused to give her seat up for a white passenger on a segregated bus in Alabama. She was sitting in the seats designated for people of color, but all of the seats for white people were full and many white passengers were standing in the aisle. Rosa was tired of giving in, and when she refused to give her seat up, the bus driver had her arrested. Her refusal to surrender her seat kick-started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted for 381 days, and helped launch nationwide efforts to end segregation of public facilities.
4. Emma Watson
We all know her as the character Hermione in the Harry Potter series, but Emma Watson is so much more than a child actor. She auditioned for Harry Potter at age 9, and made such an impression that J.K. Rowling wanted her to play Hermione immediately following her first screen test. Though she has been in other productions, Emma Watson is best known for her work with the Harry Potter Series. But, Emma Watson is much more than an actor. Throughout filming, she maintained her commitment to her education, which can be seen in the hours she spent each day studying and her high scores on her high school equivalency exams. She graduated from Brown in 2014, only taking time off to work on the final Harry Potter movie.
5. Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald, better known as the "First Lady of Song", is an icon in the world of jazz. With a rough start in life, she would take up odd jobs and enter into talent contests. It was at one of these contests that she made the last minute decision to sing which impressed Benny Carter, who helped launch her career. As her career began, she became well-known for her scatting ability, a type of improvisation and vocalization that she managed to turn into a form of art. Ella Fitzgerald had about a 4-octave range, and she could sing just about any genre. Though not made public, Ella was deeply concerned for child welfare and frequently made donations to organizations for disadvantaged youths. in 1986, Ella was diagnosed with diabetes, and rumors flew that she would never be able to sing again. Proving the press wrong, Ella performed until 1991, when she gave her 26th concert at Carnegie Hall.
6. Kesha
Kesha Rose Sebert was signed to producer Dr. Luke's label Kermosabe Records when she was just 18. While writing and working with Dr. Luke, she had no control over the music produced, and many of the songs she wished to share with the public were vetoed. She continued working with Dr. Luke until 2014, at which point she came forward and spoke up against his physical, sexual, and emotional abuse towards her, as well as his employment discrimination against her. Dr. Luke in turn took out a lawsuit against her, claiming breaching of contract and defamation. Dr. Luke and Sony Music Entertainment did not allow Kesha to write music with any other producers, publishers, or record labels, which means that she was unable to tour, sell merchandise, or further her career in any way. Kesha eventually dropped the lawsuit because of the toll it was taking on her soul. She wanted to release music for herself and for her fans, and eventually she did with her third album, Rainbow, which was unfortunately recorded on Dr. Luke's label, but also acted as a big "fuck you" to her abuser.
7. Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga, born Stefani Joanna Angelina Germanotta, is well-known for her creativity in the music industry and her eye-catching wardrobe. But Lady Gaga has done so much more than just produce music. Her music is full of overlying political or social messages, especially the music on her albums Born This Way and ARTPOP. She works as an advocate for LGBT rights, women's rights, artist's rights, and on the promotion of healthy body image. She supports survivors of sexual assault and abuse, and she is just one of the many stars who has stood by and supported Kesha and her career. She works to stop online bullying and harassment. She has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations everywhere that are fighting to find cures for diseases, such as AIDS, Lupus, etc. She even launched her own Born This Way Foundation which works to support the wellness of young people and empower them to create a kinder and braver world.
8. Leslie Knope
Leslie Knope, though she be a fictional character from Parks and Recreation, is one of the baddest bitches around. Committed to her job and the people of Pawnee, she believes that the government should truly serve the people. She is one of the most hard-working, dedicated, and optimistic people/characters to ever exist. She lets nothing stand in the way of her dreams of what she believes in. She is not only loyal to her job, but to her friends and family, as well. There is also no one on earth who loves and appreciates waffles and breakfast food as much as Leslie Knope does.
9. Minerva McGonagall
Again, though she be a fictional character, Minerva McGonagall is about as bad as it gets. Growing up, Minerva helped teach her brothers not to flaunt their magic, and worked to keep her family together. At Hogwarts, she excelled in her studies, was top of her class, and was an exceptional Quidditch player. She also managed to become an Animagus while still in school, and her animal form,a tabby cat with square spectacle markings around the eyes, was logged into the registry kept by the Ministry of Magic. After Hogwarts, Minerva worked at the Ministry of Magic before returning to Hogwarts after being offered a teaching position. Minerva was a warrior, and there was no one she cared more about or fought ore for than her students, especially Harry Potter and his friends. She took shit from no one, played by no ones rules but her own, and she reused to let anyone define her but herself. She fought avidly alongside Harry Potter as the final battle ensued.
10. My Mom
This may be such a cliche, but my mom is 1000% badder than Taylor Swift. You wanna talk to me about how bad Taylor is because she produced a song and music video where she wore lots of makeup and risque costumes? You can try, but I will not let you finish. Why don't we talk about Lois Lander, instead? I may be a little bit biased, but this woman is absolutely incredible. She not only has a college education, but she finished up graduate school literally right before she gave birth to me. In addition to me, she has four other kids - yeah, that's right folks, my mom has FIVE KIDS. Regardless of how many kids she has, she always manages to make time for us, show us how much she cares, and support us in all that we set our minds to. Not only that, but she is a fitness queen and doesn't even look like she's had five kids - this women runs marathons...MARATHONS. In addition to all of that, she also works as Genetic Counselor for the Genetic and Emergencies Information Center, which means that she is not only super smart, but she also knows how to deal with people. Honestly, I could talk about my mom forever, but I'm just going to leave it at this: my mom is a superhero, and I wouldn't want to call anyone else my best friend.