Looking for someone new to follow? Or idolise to an almost unhealthy degree? Well read on; no strings, no theme, just five women I'm obsessing over right now and why you should be too.
1. DOLLY ALDERTON
WHO IS SHE? British author, podcast host and journalist, Dolly, is best known for her column in The Sunday Times Style where she answers 'Ask Dolly' questions weekly. Dolly paired with Pandora Sykes in 2017 to create the High Low podcast, which ran until the end of 2020. In 2018, Dolly released her best-selling memoir 'Everything I Know About Love', and two years later, released her fictional novel 'Ghosts'.
WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH HER: I first discovered Dolly through her interview on Shameless podcast, where I immediately was drawn to the way she spoke about her life, her relationships and her friends (not surprising for an author of a memoir, I suppose). Afterwards was a whirlwind of devouring every piece of Dolly media I could find. Her book, 'Everything I Know About Love', recounts her life through her teenage years through to her thirties and would resonate with any teenage girl. Love, loss, friendship, situationships, sex, travel, independence and change, Dolly covers it all through her own stories -- her own life. Dolly story-tells in the most authentic and beautiful way, which manages to make you laugh and cry within a few pages. I cannot even stress how much I loved this book, and how much every confused girl in their 20s should read it.
Once I'd read every piece of writing Alderton had ever written, it was time to move on to listening. This is when I fell into an unhealthy obsession with the (now retired) High Low podcast with Pandora Sykes. The pair discuss pop culture and pieces of writing/journalism/books. As well as the High Low, Dolly features on Sentimental in the City, a podcast series with Caroline O'Donoghue where they discuss every season of Sex and the City, hilariously dissecting the episodes.
Putting it plainly, I am obsessed with Dolly because she's quintessentially everything I aspire to be. Not only is her career the ultimate goal, but she takes on any task while remaining unapologetically herself. I find her beautifully quirky and eccentric, hilarious and honest, and ultimately, I want to be her best friend and be her at the same time.
2. FLEX MAMI
WHO IS SHE? Lillian Ahenkan, otherwise known as Flex Mami, is an Australian influencer, DJ, podcaster, TV personality, entrepreneur and author. Flex has done it all, crowning herself as the 'Queen of Critical Thinking', as she created her own business, the Flex Factory, which produces conversation-starter card games with questions largely based around identity, relationships, intersectionality and mental health, aimed at getting players thinking and talking deeply (I've tried them, they're great). Flex is known for spamming her Instagram story sharing posts and TikToks and starting conversations with her followers, sharing their thoughts and her own to discuss.
WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH HER: I first heard of Flex when someone recommended the podcast, Bobo and Flex, with Bobo Matjila, on their Instagram story. I started listening to the podcast and eventually became encapsulated by the way these women could take a simple scenario, and pick it apart for an hour. Their critical thinking skills are clear as they steer away from trivial conversations and focus on deep-diving during every episode, whether the topic was cheating, religion, love, success or just something that happened to them during the week.
After finding the podcast, I followed Flex on all social platforms and loved witnessing her ability to dissect any random TikTok or post and create a productive conversation with her followers through her Instagram story. Every day she'll share something that catches her eye and then engages in a collaborative discussion with 100,000 people, and there's absolutely no wonder why her conversation cards are a massive success.
A profile of Flex was also featured in the most recent Australian Vogue where she discusses her new book, 'The Success Experiment', her rise to success and defines what success means to her.
"I used to define success by these really basic metrics, like how much money I had, the job I had, the life I had, but now it's not even this feeling of contentment but this sense of agency that feels successful to me", Flex said in the interview.
Flex is the ultimate role model for the go-getters of the world. She is the type of person who will never be complacent, and once one task is over, she moves on to another. She is the person to follow if you like to think critically about everything around you, your own thoughts, random topics or opposing perspectives. Her deep dives encourage herself and her followers to keep growing and avoid close-mindedness.
3. DAISY EDGAR JONES
WHO IS SHE? The 23-year-old actress is majorly known for her role as Marianne in the on-screen adaptation of Sally Rooney's novel 'Normal People'. Since then, Daisy has been nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe and named one of Britain's most influential women of 2020 in British Vogue. She is now filming for the adaption of Delia Owens' bestselling novel, 'Where the Crawdads Sing', where she plays the main character, Kya.
WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH HER: In all honesty, there is no lengthy explanation as to why I'm obsessed with Daisy Edgar Jones apart from her role in Normal People. If you know me, you know that Normal People basically took over my life when it was released in 2020, because of its raw authenticity. The show follows the lives of two teenagers from the end of high school through to the end of university and shows how one person can influence your entire life in the purest, most accidental way. I honestly don't think the show would have been as much of a success as it was if not for the casting choices of Daisy Edgar Jones and Paul Mescal. The actors are themselves, just normal people, which made for the most encapsulating portrayal of such deeply flawed, human characters.
In every interview you read, watch or listen to, Daisy is always incredibly humble for someone who has been nominated for multiple awards and talked about hundreds of times by the media. I was absolutely absorbed by her interview with Elizabeth Day on the podcast 'How to Fail', where she talked about her rise to fame during the pandemic, and how she watched it all unravel from her London flat with her roommates.
I love Daisy because of her genuineness, despite her stardom and incredible talent. When talking about her fame, the actress is always super grateful and seems shocked by it all, herself.
4. CLEMENTINE FORD
WHO IS SHE? Clementine Ford is a 40-year-old feminist, author, freelance writer and podcaster. Clementine's opinion pieces have been featured in publications such as ABC News, the Sydney Morning Herald and The Guardian. Ford began her podcast 'Big Sister Hotline' at the beginning of 2020, after releasing her feminist non-fiction novels 'Fight Like A Girl' in 2016 and 'Boys Will Be Boys' in 2018.
WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH HER: I discovered Clementine Ford through an episode of Shameless podcast, where they discussed Clementine's controversial decision to publicly name and shame a 14-year-old boy who had sent her sexist comments and death threats on Instagram.
Although this was the first time I'd heard of her, Clementine stands up against sexism almost every single day on her platforms and has shaped an entire career around her efforts to achieve justice for women.
I was instantly drawn in by Clementine's confidence both publicly and within herself. I listened to a couple of episodes of 'Big Sister Hotline', which she created as a space for answering questions from Australian women surrounding all things relationships, career, sex, sexuality, mental health etc. Her personality is one that is not only comforting to listen to but straightforward in her answers, shaping her as the ultimate 'Big Sister' for Australian women. Her book, 'Fight Like a Girl' explores similar themes and dives deeper into the origin of her passion for feminism and the obstacles she has faced due to a controversial life in the spotlight, all wrapped up in a neat little bow as a memoir-cross-feminist manifesto.
5. ZOË FOSTER BLAKE
WHO IS SHE? If you haven't heard of Zoë, I can bet you've heard of her husband, Hamish Blake. Hamish is known for being one half of the famous Hamish and Andy duo, and half of the lesser-known Hamish and Zoë duo, which is arguably even funnier. Zoë is a journalist turned author turned skincare guru and all-around entertaining social media personality. She's written multiple books including fiction titles like 'Air Kisses' and 'The Wrong Girl', non-fiction including 'Breakup Boss' and 'Clean Slate', as well as multiple children's books. In 2014, Zoë launched her own skincare brand, Go-To Cosmetics which is now one of the most popular in Australia and sold across the globe.
WHY I'M OBSESSED WITH HER: I love Zoë because she's one of those incredibly unproblematic social media personalities that pops up every now and then with a funny video of her kids or a skincare routine, only receives positive feedback and then slips away again.
Zoë began her career in journalism, writing for names like Cosmopolitan and Harper's Bazaar, with work including her own relationship advice column (fitting for someone who has written multiple relationship and breakup related books). She knows what she's talking about, and articulates it all in a very specific, witty, Aussie-style humour.
Zoë carried this tone of voice with her when founding her own skincare brand, Go-To cosmetics, known for not only their high-quality products but funny and eye-catching way of communicating to their customers. I LOVE Go-To, it's pretty, it's Australian and it's amazingggg for your skin. The only reason I first invested was because I trusted Zoë Foster Blake, and now I can't live without my Face Hero oil or Exfoliating Swipeys. If you like Go-To -- or skincare in general -- there is a Facebook group called 'Go-To Gang', created by the brand for Australian women to share tips, tricks and advice surrounding all things beauty/skincare related, and it is my holy grail, teaching me absolutely everything I know about skincare.
If you're an Australian woman, and you're not already following Zoë Foster Blake, you should be. Whether it's for skincare advice, relationship advice or just a funny video of her iconic family, Zoë is the type of person everyone wants to be their best friend.
Comments