The Weekly has long championed inspirational women.
And so, in honour of this year’s International Women’s Day, we’re looking back at some of the stories we’ve told about women who have advocated for just causes, paved the way for feminism and persevered against all odds.
Gisèle Pelicot
Gisèle Pelicot became a symbol of resilience when, in 2024, she waived anonymity for the trial against her husband and the numerous other men who assaulted her between 2011 and 2020.
Read The Weekly’s deep dive into Gisèle’s harrowing but inspiring story, in which we also explore how she gave courage to women all around the world here.
Naomi Watts
Beloved actress Naomi Watts has made menopause awareness and treatment her mission.
She spoke to The Weekly in early 2025 and explained why, saying, “I know that half the population, if we’re lucky enough to live to that point, are going to go through menopause. So, I’m not going to be alone on a hill.”
Naomi also opened up about her own menopause journey…
Read our full interview with Naomi here.
Lindy Chamberlain
Everyone knows Lindy’s heartbreaking story. In 1982, Lindy was wrongfully convicted of killing her newborn daughter Azaria.
And while Lindy always insisted that a dingo killed her baby, she was still imprisoned for three years and became the butt of an insensitive joke that spread all around the world.
Lindy was officially pardoned in 1987 but it took until 2012 for Australia courts to rule that a dingo did indeed kill Azaria.
Flashforward to 2025, and Lindy is a proud mother and grandmother. But she’s also speaking out on the need for reform in our criminal justice system.
Read The Weekly’s interview with Lindy here.
Girlie Goody
84-year-old Girlie is a pioneering female farmer who has run her beef cattle property solo for the past 45 years.
In outback Queensland, she is a bit of a farming legend – namely because despite all the challenges she’s faced, she perseveres with nothing but grace and a smile on her face.
Read The Weekly’s interview with Girlie here.
Narelda Jacobs
The Weekly interviewed Narelda in September 2023, and the journalist explained why speaking up about changing the narrative around Indigenous identity is so important to her.
Narelda also bravely opened up about how hard it was telling her family that she no longer agreed with some of the conservative Christian values they instilled into her as a child.
Read our full interview with Narelda here.
Barbie
The Barbie movie took the world by storm in 2023, but The Weekly believes Barbie, the doll herself, has been an inspiration to women since her inception in 1959.
For example, over the years, Barbie has had multiple jobs traditionally held by men – pilot, doctor, CEO, police officer, President of the United States… Which has ultimately taught generations of young women that they can go after any career they like.
Read why else The Weekly believes Barbie’s a feminist icon here.
Sam Mehan
Sam, a third generation miner, grew up on the Grawin opal fields. But she’s truly forged her own path – she wears a trademark pink shirt and hard-hat to stand out in a predominantly male industry.
“[My mum] always taught me to push boundaries and prove people wrong. I’m not the stereotypical opal miner, that’s for sure. I’m a little girl in a big world that is generally male dominated,” she told us in early 2024.
Read Sam’s story as well as the inspiring stories of several other women in the opal industry here.
