Fashion

COVERGIRL Launches Second Year Of #GirlsCan

by Renata Certo-Ware

It's easy to get caught up in the social media spin-cycle where we start believing that vacations, free swag, and #fitspo are the only things we should be striving for. Luckily, COVERGIRL's #GirlsCan movement is back now for its second year to remind women to dream big, because impossible = nothing.

This time around, the movement includes a series of interviews, hosted by Soledad O'Brien, a role model in her own right as a Latina woman who has become a household name for her work as a news anchor, a traditionally male-dominated field. Four totally inspiring role models — an actual model, a singer-songwriter-rapper, a chess player, and a U.S. Army veteran — are interviewed for the series.

The videos, each just under ten minutes long, give the amazing women featured within the chance to share their stories of overcoming obstacles and breaking through boundaries. Viewers get an inside peek at childhood stories, photos, practices and dress rehearsals, and more than a few triumphs. The resounding message across the board? "I can."

Janelle Monae shared her totally empowering #GirlsCan story last year. Here, meet this year's role models:

Becky G

This COVERGIRL is a Latina who sings, writes songs, and raps. Her parents were teenagers when they had her, and she grew up living with them in her grandparent's garage. Instead of stopping her, it fueled her success — and from a very young age, at that. She's been performing since age 11, and now at just 18 years old, the Inglewood native has won countless awards as well as broken records and stereotypes.

Geena Rocero

Geena was assigned male at birth, and grew up in the Philippines, where she faced teasing and street harassment. It wasn't until age 30 that she came out during a TED talk, surprising her friends, neighbors, and even her agent. Now, she campaigns for transgender rights in her native country.

Tina Garnanez

Tina, who grew up on a Navajo reservation, spent five years in the military, where women are definitely the minority — women make up only about 15 percent of the U.S. Army. Now, back home and suffering from PTSD, she advocates for fellow veterans.

Rochelle Ballantyne

This college student is on her way to achieving the chess title "Master", a title that only 846 people in the USA hold — and among them, only 50 are women.

Each video begins with a reminder from Soledad O'Brien Each of the fact that although women are doing great things, there's still a lot of work to be done.

Young women leading bold lives, leaders at work, at play, maybe one day even in the white house." Yet there's still progress to be made. We're falling behind men in fields like business, music, sports, and science, some of the hottest fields today. For every dollar earned by a man women get just 78 cents.

Girls — and women — are encouraged to share their own stories on social media using the movement's built-in hashtag #GirlsCan.