Hourglass Angel

In March, Hourglass Angel proudly honors Women’s History Month. With our commitment to supporting and serving women everywhere, this is a special time for us. In celebration, we’d like to share a few of our favorite women with you. While they all come from different backgrounds and have very different sets of achievements, these women inspire us each day to be greater and that’s what this month is all about.

Michelle Obama: Raised on the south side of Chicago, first lady, Michelle Obama, has earned the admiration of women around the globe, in addition to, not because of her marriage to the President of the United States. A Princeton and Harvard alumni, Mrs. Obama was already a brilliant attorney, advocate and community organizer when she met Barack Obama. Never satisfied to stand idly next to her husband as built his political career, Mrs. Obama has been an ardent voice for poverty elimination around the globe, women’s rights and public health. She continues her political and community service to our nation with her healthy lifestyle programs and remains one of the most admired women on the globe.

Sara Blakely: This youngest female self-made billionaire and Forbes covergirl has her own vision and perseverance to thank for her incomprehensible success. Starting with one simple idea and a whole lot of elbow grease, this former Disneyland employee, turned her billion dollar idea into a brand that has found fans in women around the world. But Sara didn’t stop there. She continued her legacy as a maverick, retaining ownership of 100% of of the company. That risky move made her a billionaire several times over and one of the richest women in the world. Today she continues her work as a businessperson and philanthropist, encouraging women to follow their dreams by her example.

Maya Angelou: Dr. Angelou’s unforgettable reading at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton was a transformative moment for the public art in the United States. While that morning cemented her as a national treasure in the minds of many, her legacy far exceeds that special event. Memoirist, poet, speaker and activist, her work tackles such difficult subjects as race, class, family, gender and age with deftness and beauty. Her honors include a National Book Award nomination, a Pulitzer Prize nomination, a Tony Award nomination, three Grammys for her spoken word albums, the longest-running record on The New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller List, service on two presidential committees, the National Medal of Arts, the Lincoln Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and over thirty honorary degrees.

Aretha Franklin: The undisputed Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin has been called the Greatest Singer of All Time and the the ninth greatest artist of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. She has taken home a whopping 18 Grammys and two honorary Grammys. With a staggering 20 No.1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and two No.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, she boasts a grand total of 45 Top 40 hits. Between 1967 and 1982, she had earned more number one R+B albums than any other and was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the 1960’s, Franklin’s powerful voice became the sound of the burgeoning civil rights movement and she often joined Dr. Martin Luther King, singing at rallies. And of course, her 2009 performance at the inauguration of President Barack Obama was an unforgettable moment for all who watched, as the Queen of Soul once again became the soundtrack to a pivotal moment in American history.