by Ciara Kelly

The last couple of years has seen a huge rise in the feminist movement, with more women (and men) than ever breaking the mould, smashing the glass ceiling and slaying the crap out of everything they do. This definitive guide to some of the best Girl Power films and documentaries out there is guaranteed inspire the feminist goddess in you!

Spice World

Obviously the Spice Girls were going to come first. Five of the most influential 90s icons shouted from the rooftops about friendship, strength and not conforming to the way society thinks us ladies should behave. Even their nicknames gave every type of girl hope that they could be whoever they wanted to be. Also, 90s style inspo anyone?

Legally Blonde

This film completely shocks everybody who watches it. We see a self-obsessed ‘dumb blonde’ sorority girl who has her heart broken by her super rich, smart, misogynistic boyfriend who wants to find a smarter girl before he moves on to College. In a surprise turn of events, Elle Woods lands herself a place at Harvard University, which is notoriously difficult to get into. Not only does she find her true calling as a Lawyer, she also surpasses everyone’s expectations and decides her ex boyf isn’t worth her time. Elle Woods, proving women everywhere can be stylish and smart!

Dirty Girls

Throwing it back yet again to the 1990s, Dirty Girls is a documentary that follows two teens around their school, who are repeatedly snubbed by the other kids in school. The doc was shot in 1996, edited in 2000, but didn’t go viral until 2013, and shows the girls standing up for themselves by creating a zine, which they distributed across the school. This documentary is perfect for all our misfit ladies out there!

He Named Me Malala

You will almost definitely have heard of Malala Yousafzai, a Girl Power icon in her own right who, at the age of just 15 was targeted and severely wounded by the Taliban because she and her father were advocating for girls education. Malala is now one of the world’s most recognised campaigners for girls’ rights to education. Watch this now.

Bend It Like Beckham

Jesminder ‘Jess’ Bhamra, an 18-year-old Punjabi Sikh is a huge fan of football, but her dreams are quashed time after time because she’s a girl and her very traditional family won’t allow it. After many trials and tribulations, Jess beats all the odds and proves herself as the sick footballer she is!