F*cking Awesome Females: 17 Badass Women Who Are Changing the Rules and Paving the Way

While rapper and singer Lizzo (real name Melissa Jefferson) released her debut album, Lizzobangers, in 2013, this year is her time to finally get the name recognition she deserves. Thanks to her appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show, more fans have discovered Lizzo and can't wait for the release of her third studio album, Cuz I Love You, in April (her upcoming tour of the same name is also sold out). But in addition to her amazing music, Lizzo also spreads empowering messages about body positivity and self-love. Her backup dancers are dubbed "The Big GRRRLS," and she models for Khloé Kardashian's Good American clothing brand.

Badass Fact: One of her signature moves is playing the flute on stage while twerking. Is there anything she can't do?!

At just 19 years old, Sydney McLaughlin has already proven that she can hang in the big leagues (and dominate). The hurdler and sprinter has broken a ton of records, including setting a new world youth best and world junior record for the 400-meter hurdles at the 2016 US Olympic trials, which qualified her for the Rio Olympics. She placed fifth in her semifinal heat but still became the youngest US athlete to compete in a track and field event at the Olympics since 1972. Sydney went professional last year when she signed a multiyear endorsement contract with the New Balance team and is already looking to smash more records — she's definitely one to watch for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Badass Fact: Sydney won the Gatorade National Girls Athlete of the Year award in both 2016 and 2017 — the only athlete to have earned the award twice.

The 29-year-old politician and activist from the Bronx recently became the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is already an incredible force when it comes to breathing new life into an at-times outdated status quo. In addition to brushing off her haters, Alexandria, who represents New York's 14th congressional district, is advocating for causes like Medicare For All, guaranteed family leave, free tuition at public colleges and trade schools, and an assault weapon ban, just to name a few.

Badass Fact: Alexandria won second prize at the 2007 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for her research on the effect of antioxidants on roundworms. To show its appreciation, the International Astronomical Union named a small asteroid after her, 23238 Ocasio-Cortez.

When Gabi Gregg graduated from college in 2008, she noticed a massive void in the fashion and beauty industries for women sizes 14 and up. But instead of waiting for someone else to notice, she immediately began fixing the problem herself. The 32-year-old body-positive blogger (who goes by Gabifresh) rejects the notion of "dressing for your body type" and encourages her followers to wear whatever the hell they want. After the massive success of her blog, she's now the cofounder of Premme, an affordable swimwear brand for curvy women; she has a swimwear collection for Swimsuits For All; and she designs lingerie for Playful Promises.

Badass Fact: Gabi became MTV's first-ever Twitter Jockey in 2010, winning a year-long contract where she became the social media face of the brand.

When someone describes herself as "the perfect mash-up between Bill Nye the Science Guy and Beyoncé," you know she's going to be awesome, and Jessica O. Matthews is just that. She's a Nigerian-American inventor, CEO, and venture capitalist with degrees from Harvard College and Harvard Business School. She cofounded Uncharted Power, which makes energy-producing products like the Soccket Ball, a soccer ball that's also a power generator. But she's already thinking much bigger than that, with help from investors like Disney. Her goal? Provide cost-efficient energy for underserved communities. She's also determined to build a diverse company that reflects the world in which we live. "Half our staff is women, which is rare for an energy company," she told Forbes. "About 30 to 40 percent of our team is Black or Latinx. And we moved our headquarters from downtown Manhattan to Harlem."

Badass Fact: In 2012, the Harvard Foundation For Intercultural and Race Relations named Jessica the Scientist of the Year.

You probably fell in love with Lana Condor in last year's insanely sweet Netflix movie To All the Boys I've Loved Before, but since it was only Lana's fourth acting role, she's quite literally just getting started. The 21-year-old currently kicks major ass in Syfy's Deadly Class as sword-yielding Saya and has been gracing major magazine covers like Cosmopolitan, where she recently opened up about her joy and responsibility for helping diversify Hollywood: "I've had so many little Asian girls and older Asian women come up to me. Because of that, I'm really aware and proud of who I am and what I look like." Soon, she'll start filming the TATBILB sequel, the second chapter in the beloved book trilogy.

Badass Fact: Lana's first-ever role was Jubilee in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse. Let me say that again for the people in the back: first. ever. role.

You may think that Summer Fridays are just a seasonal perk, but Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores, the duo behind skincare brand Summer Fridays, are bringing those weekend vibes every day of the week. The friends got their start as bloggers and influencers, but after being sent numerous products they didn't feel thrilled to share with their followers, they took matters into their own hands. Now, they create products with good-for-you ingredients that also make you feel rejuvenated and strong. Their first product, the Jet Lag Mask, sold out shortly after its release and blew up on Instagram, and they're currently working on new products to make even the Monday-est Monday feel like Friday.

Badass Fact: Marianna and Lauren made the Jet Lag Mask tube out of aluminum for one big reason: it holds its shape even after you use it, which makes it perfect for Instagram photos.

The frequency of mass shootings in America is terrifying, but Shannon Watts is demanding change. Shortly after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, the former PR executive and mother of five founded Moms Demand Action, an organization that fights for public safety measures and takes a stand against lax gun laws. MDA recently worked to augment the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to ensure it will alert law enforcement when someone with a criminal background attempts to purchase a firearm. It's also helped pass laws in 25 states and the District of Columbia that work to disarm domestic abusers and has seen eight states start to require background checks before every gun sale. "When women get involved, things change," she told POPSUGAR. "Especially when the safety of their families and communities are at risk."

Badass Fact: Shannon is also a board member of Emerge America and Rise to Run, two organizations that recruit and train women to run for office.

Toni Harris, 22, wants to be the first woman in the NFL, and she's sprinting toward that goal with incredible force. Not only does Toni play for East Los Angeles College, but she's also currently deciding which of the multiple four-year college football scholarship offers she wants to accept. And in between kicking ass on the field and in the classroom (she's an honors student at ELAC), she also found time to star in this year's Toyota Super Bowl commercial. "I hate when people put limitations on my life," she told the Detroit Free Press. "Don't do that. It's not your life. Don't put limitations on something I know I can achieve."

Badass Fact: During her senior year of high school, Toni was named homecoming queen at the football game she started in.

Noor Tagouri is only 25 years old, but she already has quite the résumé; she's a Libyan-American journalist, activist, and motivational speaker. Noor is the producer of The Trouble They've Seen: The Forest Haven Story, a docuseries about the mistreatment of people with mental disabilities, which she funded herself. She's also the producer of Sold in America: Inside Our Nation's Sex Trade, a podcast and docuseries on sex trafficking in the US, and is currently developing its second season.

Badass Fact: In 2016, not only was Noor the first Muslim woman to appear in Playboy's "Renegades" issue, which featured a select group of game changers (who were fully clothed), but she's also the first woman to wear a hijab in the magazine.

According to Becca McCharen-Tran, beauty is whatever the f*ck you want it to be. As the creator of New York-based luxury swimsuit and activewear label Chromat, the 34-year-old is using her architecture degree to build beautiful clothes for our bodies' many different shapes and sizes. She uses racially diverse, curvy, trans, and gender-nonconforming models on the runway and was applauded for her "Sample Size" t-shirt at NYFW last year. Her new swimwear designs for 2019 also use materials made from recycled plastic bottles and discarded fishing nets for sustainability.

Badass Fact: Becca was behind the sold-out MAC x Chromat beauty collection in 2017, which consisted of bold colors like red, blue, and orange.

You know when people say "cat lady" like it's a bad thing? Well, Hannah Shaw doesn't see it that way. As a kitten rescuer, humane educator, and author, the 31-year-old has dedicated her life to protecting animals. Her project, Kitten Lady, helps educate animal shelters on how best to save and care for orphan kittens through workshops, consulting services, and more. She co-operates Orphan Kitten Club, a charitable organization that provides rescue and adoption services to orphan kittens in the San Diego area, with her partner, Andrew Marttila. On top of all that, she has a children's book, Kitten Lady's Big Book of Little Kittens, coming out this year.

Badass Fact: The amazing empire she's currently building all started when she found a kitten stuck in a tree in her hometown of Philadelphia. Long story short: she saved its life, adopted it, and named it Coco.

If there's anyone out there who still thinks girls don't know anything about sports, Jemele Hill is here to prove you so, so wrong. The 43-year-old sports journalist has been in the business for more than 20 years, covering everything from the Olympics to college sports to the NBA playoffs. She worked for ESPN for 11 years, appearing on numerous shows like SportsCenter. But after feeling stifled by the network for being outspoken about President Trump and racial injustices, she left and is now making career decisions on her own terms. In addition to being a writer for The Atlantic, she also narrated the Showtime docuseries Shut Up and Dribble.

Badass Fact: Jemele recently started a production company, Lodge Freeway Media, with her friend and is planning on selling a 30-minute scripted series with Gabrielle Union.

If you have been obsessed with Supernatural, can't get enough of The Magicians, or recently binge-watched You on Netflix, you have one woman to thank: Sera Gamble. The 35-year-old writer and producer has been churning out hits in Hollywood for years (on Supernatural, she served as a writer, executive producer, head writer, and showrunner over the course of the first seven seasons). She also isn't planning on stopping anytime soon. In addition to season two of You being in the works, Sera will continue her work on The Magicians, both of which she cocreated and executive produces. In an industry that's so heavily dominated by men, Sera's ability to give audiences exactly what they want proves she's an unstoppable force to keep watching this year.

Badass Fact: Sera made a cameo in a season three episode of The Magicians as a — wait for it — water dragon.

Outside magazine once named Kellee Edwards the most interesting woman in the world, and for good reason. Edwards is an adventure travel journalist, licensed pilot, and advanced open water scuba diver who explores off-the-beaten-path destinations as the host of Travel Channel's Mysterious Islands. She's the first black woman to host a regular season show on the network and is quickly making a name for herself in the industry. In addition to her show, Kellee is also working on starting a nonprofit called D.O.P.E. Adventures (Discover Outdoors and Passionately Explore) to help bring travel experiences to kids and young adults who may not have the budget for it.

Badass Fact: Kellee has mostly traveled by air and sea, but she wants to conquer the road next. To do that in style, she recently got her motorcycle license.

Have you ever hidden a tampon under your shirt before running to the bathroom at work? Or been too embarrassed to talk about something weird going on . . . down there? Dr. Anita Mitra is over that unnecessary awkwardness, and you should be, too. Anita, a UK native, has made it her mission to remove the stigma surrounding periods and women's health issues. She works in obstetrics and gynecology, has experience in both clinical medicine and research, and is the author of The Gynae Geek (out in March), which aims to provide "no nonsense information on 'down-there' healthcare." She's also working to help end cervical cancer, recently getting her PhD on the subject.

Badass Fact: When Anita isn't busy being, you know, a doctor, she lifts weights in her free time, often documenting her gym sessions on Instagram.