We are completely in love with Feminist Thought Bubble, an Instagram account by college student Molly Williams that features drawings of feminist influencers, artists, activists and fictional female characters. The charming illustrations are accompanied by quotes that tackle a wide variety of issues including feminism, education, gender, consent, body-shaming, race and everything in between.

In an email to WYSK Molly explained her inspiration for the series, “I started Feminist Thought Bubble because I was frustrated with the instances of misogyny I encountered every day, and I was even more disheartened by the realization that while my experiences can be unfortunate, there are many women whose plight is much worse than mine due to systems of power and privilege.“

I thought that art could be a cool way to connect with and relate to other women through commonality of experience, but also to raise awareness about the complexities of womanhood’s intersection with factors such as race, socioeconomic status and sexual orientation.

Molly’s selection process is pretty simple, she draws women “who don’t buy into casual sexist BS.” Of the more recognizable names she draws, Molly chooses women who actively work to promote women’s rights or who inspire and empower women through their actions. “It’s important to me to look beyond the surface and choose women who might be less well-known than some of society’s more famous feminists, but who can offer valuable insight into why intersectionality is so important.” 

Looking ahead to the near future, Molly tells us she is working on illustrations of JK Rowling and Alice Bowman, the mission operations specialist for the spacecraft that NASA sent to Pluto. She also has plans on covering more poets and authors who have personally inspired her, such as bell hooks, Lucille Clifton, Adrienne Rich and Alice Walker, as well as more inspirational female politicians such as Elizabeth Warren.

There are dozens of incredibly awesome illustrations to check out, but here are some of our favorite of women you should know.

Today’s #wcw is the admirable Sonia Sotomayor (#wcw Supreme Court justice number two!). The above quote is from a 2013 NPR interview. Sotomayor is the first Latino justice and the third woman justice. She faced many challenges growing up–she had difficulty learning English in her household (her parents were recent immigrants from Puerto Rico), she lost her father at a young age, and she suffered from juvenile diabetes. Nonetheless, her family emphasized the importance of education; she was able to attend Princeton and Yale Law School. Sotomayor herself believes that affirmative action is one of the reasons she was able to attain such successes despite her background. As a judge, Sotomayor has a record of promoting civil rights and working in particular for the rights of marginalized groups. She has been an inspiration to me since she was appointed in 2009, and I know she will continue to inspire countless others.

A photo posted by Feminist Thought Bubble (@feministthoughtbubble) on

Today’s #wcw is the phenomenal activist and author Angela Davis. I was first acquainted with her work when I read her book Are Prisons Obsolete, which makes (in my opinion) a very strong case for prison abolition based on prison’s inherent status as an oppressive institution designed to incapacitate “undesirable” members of society. Apart from being a strong voice during the Civil Rights Movement and a continued advocate against manifestations of racism, Davis is also a radical feminist who has spoken up frequently about the exclusion of women from social movements and the struggle for equality. Her book Women, Race and Class presents a history of the women’s rights movement that acknowledges the differences between the experiences of black and white women and, more broadly, considers class, race and gender to be inextricably linked. A photo posted by Feminist Thought Bubble (@feministthoughtbubble) on

Laverne Cox was my secondary #wcw a few weeks ago, but I think this stunning, inspirational star deserves her own post. Apart from frequently stealing the spotlight on one of my favorite shows, Orange is the New Black, Cox is also a groundbreaking pioneer in the trans community and a fearless, outspoken advocate. Honestly, everything about her is beautiful. ?. ALSO, thank you all so much for your continued support, you’re the best 🙂 as always, feel free to message me with ideas, critiques or just to chat ?

A photo posted by Feminist Thought Bubble (@feministthoughtbubble) on

 

This week’s #wcw is Malala Yousafzai. Most people know her as the girl who was shot by the Taliban, but her heroism extends beyond that horrific experience. Before the attack, when she was 11, she was already writing blog posts for BBC describing her life was like in Pakistan under Taliban rule and her views about women’s education. Since the attack, she has been even more outspoken in the fight for women’s education and has inspired people all over the world. In 2014, she became the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate(!!). Malala’s story reminds us that every voice matters, and that being young should not keep you from standing up for what you believe in. Every voice can make a difference. ?

 

A photo posted by Feminist Thought Bubble (@feministthoughtbubble) on