Here at Sunday Supply, we're rounding out Women's History Month with a post dedicated to a few amazing women that have inspired and encouraged us with their lives, hearts and words.  While the list of female world-changers is beautifully long, we’ve rounded up a few notable ladies in the categories of fashion, the arts and empowerment. Whether it’s a household name or one that you’re reading about for the first time, we hope you enjoy this blog post in celebration of the women who came before us, the women we are today, and the generations of powerful women to come! 

WOMEN IN FASHION

Coco Chanel: Born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883, Coco Chanel passionately worked and designed until her death at age 87. Coco Chanel is widely thought of as the greatest fashion force who ever lived that brought a “spirit” to fashion rather than just a look. She has an enduring impact on global fashion today, having created some of the most iconic looks. Thank you Coco for the Little Black Dress, costume jewelry, the trench coat and turtlenecks, and the Chanel suit. 

Iris Apfel, best known for her unique, eclectic style that sparked from her childhood antiquing habits while growing up in New York City. Making her way in the world of textiles, Iris specialized in recreating vintage fabrics that led to a contract with the White House that spanned 9 presidencies and earned her the nicknames “First Lady of Fabric” and “Our Lady of the Cloth." Of her eclectic style, it was written "An American original in the truest sense, Iris Apfel is one of the most vivacious personalities in the worlds of fashion, textiles, and interior design, and over the past 40 years, she has cultivated a personal style that is both witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic." Iris taught us how fun dressing can be! 

WOMEN IN THE ARTS + SCIENCES

In the mid-1800's, Mary Cassatt moved from Philadelphia to Paris to pursue her passion of art and became an artist by profession- something quite unusual at the time. She became known for her art that captured private, everyday moments, like "woman bathing". As a member of the Impressionists, she often featured mothers and children in her work. 

Next time you hear, “Keep left at the fork,” thank Gladys West. The GPS is one of the most universal technologies of our time, and we recognize Gladys West for her role in revolutionizing geodesy—the science of measuring the Earth’s shape, orientation in space and gravitational field. In the 1980s, she programmed the IBM 7030 Stretch computer with algorithms that accounted for how gravitational and tidal forces distort the Earth’s shape, and the model was essential to the development of the Global Positioning System.  

EMPOWERING WOMEN

Betty Friedan, was known as the “mother” of “second wave feminism”. Working moms rejoice! After polling more than 200 college alumnae in the 1950’s to learn about their experience as housewives and mothers, Betty identified “the problem that has no name:” the unhappiness of housewives. Friedan’s research found that while culture told women they should find immeasurable happiness in housework, marriage and childcare, many women were actually deeply dissatisfied. In 1960, Friedan wrote “Women Are People Too!” for Good Housekeeping. In it, Friedan asked, “Who knows what women can be when they finally are free to become themselves?” This article was the precursor to "The Feminine Mystique,” released in 1963. 

Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her fight for the right of every child to receive an education. As a young girl in Pakistan under Taliban rule, Malala stood up to the Taliban and became known throughout the country (and world!) for her bold determination to give Pakistani girls access to a free, quality education. Malala was 11 years old when she wrote her first BBC diary entry. Under the blog heading “I am afraid,” she described her fear of a full-blown war, and her nightmares about being afraid to go to school because of the Taliban.

To all of the women who have gone before us and are walking alongside us, continuing to pave the way, thank you! We hope you've spent time this month learning and celebrating women around the world that have made your world a little bit brighter. 

Sincerely, Sunday 

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Images Sources: Iris Apfel | Coco Chanel | Gladys West | Mary Casset