Throughout history, there have been countless powerful and inspirational women. Sadly, however, they haven't always been given the recognition they deserve. That's why International Women's Day exists. Historically, women have been treated as second class citizens, and in many parts of the world, even in the West, this is still the case.
So, to shed light on just how incredible the fairer sex are and have always been, one mom has been dressing up her baby daughter as female icons. This began when baby Liberty was just three weeks old with a picture of her dressed as Frida Khalo on Instagram and has continued ever since, her mom, 36-year-old Jenelle Wexler from Illinois, revealed:
"People seemed to like it," Wexler told USA TODAY. "And I did a little bio to go with it. And there are so many amazing women out there. I showcased Amelia Earhart and Marie Curie and I kept getting more ideas and I kept going."
So, without further ado, here are 15 of Liberty's best iconic female looks, starting, naturally, with Frida.
1. Frida Khalo
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
She's one of the most instantly recognizable artists in history. Frida is hailed as a feminist icon because she used her personal troubles - including miscarriages - to inform her work, which included many self-portraits.
2. Cleopatra
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Cleopatra was one of history's first powerful female rulers and presided over Ancient Egypt for an impressive three decades. She was also known for her beauty, lovers, as well as her intelligence (she could speak three languages).
3. Lady Liberty
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Construction began on Lady Liberty back in 1875, and she is now one of the most iconic symbols of the Free World. Lady Liberty's flame is engraved with the date that the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed - July 4, 1776.
4. Rosa Parks
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Rosa Park's place in history was cemented by a simple act which, unbeknownst to her, was going to start the American Civil Right's Movement - refusing to give up her seat to a white man, as was expected of black people, on the bus.
5. Queen Elizabeth II
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch in history. She has presided over an ever-changing Britain since 1953 and made many difficult decisions in her life which, for many, have ultimately bettered her people and ensured the survival of the British monarchy.
6. Audrey Hepburn
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Audrey Hepburn is one of the most instantly recognizable stars from Hollywood's Golden Age. She was famed for her beauty, iconic fashion sense as well as her skill as an actress. Hepburn was also a humanitarian and became Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF in 1989, for which she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
7. Whoopi Goldberg
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Whoopi Goldberg is an inspirational lady for so many reasons and is one of the few actors out there to have won an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. In addition to this, she became the second black woman to an Academy Award for acting for her role in Ghost.
8. Mother Teresa
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Mother Teresa, for Catholics, is more than just an inspirational woman, the nun and missionary is known as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Her achievements including helping to set up a hospice; blind, aged and disabled centers, and a leper colony.
9. Ann Bancroft
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Historically, the fairer sex has been portrayed as being weaker than men, but one woman who proved this stereotype wrong is adventurer Ann Bancroft. She was one of the first women to go on exhibitions to the Arctic and Antarctic.
10. Jackie O
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
It might have been decades since she was last in the White House, but Jackie Kennedy remains, for many, the most popular First Lady of all time. Wikipedia describes her as being famed for "her fashion sense and later after her husband's assassination, for her poise and dignity."
11. Ellen DeGeneres
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
She's arguably America's best-loved talk show host and a true LGBTQ+ icon. She has used her fame to help further a number of causes, notably gay and animal rights. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
12. Female suffragists
Credit: Instagram / @photographyofliberty
Remember what I wrote about women being regarded as second class citizens? Well, nowhere was that more apparent than their campaign to get the vote in the early 20th century. That's why the suffragists are heroes in their own right. They were humiliated - and in some cases force-fed - so that women can have the political voice they have today.
Hopefully, once baby Liberty is older, she'll become an inspirational woman herself. Kudos to her mom for doing something other than posting standard cute baby pictures and using hers to draw attention to iconic women!