8 Female Celebrities Who Are #FeministAF

Being a celebrity seems like a pretty cool gig, but with all that swag comes great responsibility. You’re not just given a stage to perform on, you’re given a platform from which to speak out on issues of global importance.

And some celebrities do just that. Here are ten badass actresses using their stage to make a difference for women today:

Emma Watson devotion to advancing the lives of women is beyond admirable. As a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador she uses the spotlight shone upon her as a means of empowering young women.

Chloë Grace Moretz teamed up with us and Days for Girls to help empower and educate young women. We totally agree with Chloë when she says, “Every woman deserves to feel like her best self every day, and nothing should hold her back.”

Amy Poehler is funny as hell, that’s undeniable. But she’s also super inspiring and her online community Amy’s Smart Girls is an incredible resource for young women providing engaging, empowering content and conversation.

Beyoncé reigns supreme in all things, including acting (Lemonade, what!). She’s an artist and activist who knows what it means to speak her truth. Oh, yeah, and she’s a feminist too.

Jennifer Lawrence is everyone’s ideal BFF. Her open (Lenny) letter about sexism in Hollywood echoed well beyond those gilded gates, especially comments like, ‘I’m over trying to find the “adorable” way to state my opinion and still be likable! Fuck that.’

Viola Davis is breathtakingly talented and beautiful. She’s also very smart. She participated in a much revered Hollywood Reporter roundtable where six top actors discussed the current climate of sexism in Hollywood (and beyond).

Lena Dunham‘s is a brave, fierce voice. Through the creation of Girls and The Lenny Letter as well as her book and essays, Dunham never ceases to speak out on important issues facing young women today.

Patricia Arquette used her acceptance speech at the Oscars in 2014 to decry the gender wage gap, “To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s time to have wage equality once and for all. And equal rights for women in the United States of America.”

That’s just a small sampling of a huge list of strong, smart women (and men) who are standing up and working to empower others. Thanks for your hard work! You are truly badass.

Photos courtesy of Hypable and Teen Vogue