11 inspiring quotes every woman should make her battle cry for 2017

2016 has not been an easy year for women. We've seen some highs — Hillary Clinton becoming the first female Presidential candidate in the US, a surge in body-positive movements, PV Sindhu's Olympic silver — but the lows have been equally dramatic. Just look at how Clinton lost the US presidency to Donald Trump, a self-confessed sexual predator who thinks climate change is a hoax and that all Mexicans are rapists.

But sitting in a corner and whining is not an attractive look on anyone. So stand up, shake off the BS of 2016, and let these powerful quotes from some of our favourite female celebrities be your battle cry for the year to come.      

PV Sindhu, Olympian, Elle cover star

"When I used to play before, sometimes I would get nervous and think, what’s going wrong? But if you keep thinking about that point you tend to lose more points. So now I always think I have to take one point at a time, not the game. Because the game is far away, but the point is right now." 

Madonna, pop star, mother of four 

"Women have been so oppressed for so long they believe what men have to say about them. They believe they have to back a man to get the job done. And there are some very good men worth backing, but not because they're men -- because they're worthy. As women, we have to start appreciating our own worth and each other's worth. Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn from, to collaborate with, to be inspired by, to support, and enlightened by."

Sania Mirza, Wimbledon champion, fashion muse

"You sound disappointed that I’m not choosing motherhood over being number one in the world at this point of time. But I’ll answer your question anyway, that’s the question I face all the time as a woman, that all women have to face — the first is marriage and then it’s motherhood. Unfortunately, that’s when we’re settled, and no matter how many Wimbledons we win or number ones in the world we become, we don’t become settled."

Jennifer Aniston, actor, writer of open letters

"We are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies. That decision is ours and ours alone. Let’s make that decision for ourselves and for the young women in this world who look to us as examples. Let’s make that decision consciously, outside of the tabloid noise. We don’t need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own “happily ever after” for ourselves."

Twinkle Khanna, writer, producer actor

"Witches were once princesses who got tired of their knights in shining armour falling off their high horses once too often, and finally decided to take matters into their own hands."

Michelle Obama, First Lady, fitness enthusiast

"Strong men — men who are truly role models — don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful. People who are truly strong lift others up. People who are truly powerful bring others together."

Arundhati Roy, writer, activist

"I get so annoyed when I hear “cool” young women say ‘I’m not a feminist.’ Every freedom we have today, we have because of feminists. It didn’t all come to us only because of our own inherent talent or brilliance. No freedom has come without a huge battle. If you’re not a feminist, go back to into your veil, sit in the kitchen and take instructions. You don’t want to do that? Thank the feminists."

Sunny Leone, actor, digital entrepreneur

"I don’t care about anybody else’s inhibitions or insecurities. It doesn’t affect my life at all. I work every single day, and I’m very happy for that."

Kalki, actor, poet

“Sex is better in my thirties; I’m less inhibited with my body. In your twenties, you’re very worried about how people perceive you. I’ve become more selfish in bed now. And I’m much more fussy (about partners), my bullshit tolerance is a lot less. I don’t just like someone because they like me, which was the case usually.”

Alicia Keys, musician, talent scout, muse 

"One of the many things I was tired of was the constant judgment of women. The constant stereotyping through every medium that makes us feel like being a normal size is not normal, and heaven forbid if you're plus-size. Or the constant message that being sexy means being naked."

Jennifer Lawrence, actor, comedian, drinking buddy

“It’s not as scary to say what you mean anymore. Remember how scary that used to be? Like ‘What if they think I’m mad at them?’ Now it’s like ‘They better think I’m mad!’ ” 

Emma Watson, actor, pioneer of HeForShe campaign

Watson's recent cover shoot for Vanity Fair had the internet trolls crying foul; what business did a self-professed feminist have flaunting her body for the camera, after all? “Feminism is about giving women choice. Feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with. It’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality. I really don’t know what my tits have to do with it," she clarified. 

Maturing from Hermione to Belle in @beautyandthebeast is a true coming-of-age story for @EmmaWatson: "I couldn't care less if I won an Oscar or not if the movie didn’t say something that I felt was important for people to hear." Read the full cover story at the link in bio. Photograph by Tim Walker.

A post shared by Vanity Fair (@vanityfair) on Feb 28, 2017 at 10:02am PST