What is girl power?

It's not about what gender is better, that's for sure.

It's about the women who, despite their circumstances, struggle each day to fulfill their dreams, to achieve what other people, other women, haven't.

It's about giving it all, working hard, knocking down invisible social walls that surround us.

It's about being brave and taking the leap.

It's about believing in yourself.

Women empowerment is not a millennial thing. It's something that has been going on throughout history and is still strong. We're still fighting each day to break barriers, to do more, to plant that little seed that might grow into a tree and that can give fruit to many others.

Many examples come to mind, like Emma Watson or Shakira, but I wanted to talk to you about three women that have influenced throughout history, each with a different background and personality.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

She was born in the 17th century in Mexico. Her need to learn more things led her to enter a convent since it was the only place where women could study at will.

She read all the time, and that love transformed into poems and plays. There is something funny about the fact that a nun wrote love poems, but it did happen, and she was good. However, that's not all she wrote about, her books and poems talk about the way women are strong and have the same right to education as men. Her characters are funny and clever, and she makes fun of men and women in equal amounts.

Now, let's remember that she lived in a Spanish colony, where not only was she not Spanish, but she was a woman, to make it worse. Despite it all, she kept publishing new stories, trying to raise awareness. There was one time when an archbishop admonished her for talking about mundane subjects without focusing more on theology, to which her answer was:  

"One can perfectly well philosophize while cooking supper."

I always smile at this.

She is part of the Mexican identity; her image appears on the Mexican currency and she is considered a baroque Latin American jewel.

Jane Austen

The first novels I'd ever read were written by Jane Austen. I was elated to read about heroines that always, no matter how heartbreaking their story was, or how many hardships they had to overcome, they always found true love (plus that true love was a handsome, rich man who would solve all their problems). For me, they were much better than fairy tales. I could always count on Jane Austen to make me swoon and fall in love with Emma, Elizabeth or Catherine.

However, her success didn't come as easy. Unlike her heroines, she never married. She had to manage in between living with different relatives or renting an apartment (something not usual at the beginning of the 19th century) and pursuing her passion in writing. Only that women weren't supposed to do that, they didn't have the luxury to pursue their dreams as equally as men.

Nevertheless, she kept writing, and as most artists from the time, it wasn't until after she died that people recognized her works. She died really young, at the age of 41. She had published four books (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma) and had finished two more when she became ill and was forced to stop writing.

She struggled to follow her passion, immortalizing her wit, her dreams and even the way she mocked the society.

Frida Kahlo

She was a self-portrait artist and iconic feminist married to one of Mexico's renowned artists, Diego Rivera. She was also a communist and all around weirdo. Her traditions, as well as her culture, is portrayed on all of her paintings and pictures. She was openly bi-sexual and was one of the most passionate women of all time.

The 20th century embraced her unique character, but the medicine wasn't too advanced yet, and Frida had a frail body. She suffered from poliomyelitis at age 6 and spina bifida. At eighteen, she was a complete rebel, fighting for her beliefs until the moment she had an accident and was forced to stay in bed. That's when she started to paint and left the medicine career she was pursuing, to become a full-time painter.

Her marriage with Diego was anything but calm. They both had affairs and even got divorced once. Only to get married again a few years later.

Her art is unique because you can see her everyday struggle and self-determination to achieve her goals. She uses satire and makes women the main character in all her paintings, talking about pregnancy, birth, and abortion in a time where those subjects were uncommon.

I always loved her artwork because she was honest and always proud of her heritage.

All three women, living in different environments and times, took a chance, fought for what they believed, despite the fact that the whole society was against them. For me, that's the best definition of girl power.

I think it's so important to work hard to achieve our dreams, whether you're a girl or a boy. Take a look at what these people have achieved and know that you're not alone, that if you make an effort, if you take one more step, it's one more step closer to your goal.

Keep dreaming.

Keep working hard.

Dreams do come true.

Trust me, I know.