I have spent a lot of time in the past few years watching various TED Talks, it’s one of my favourite things to do when I need some motivation. I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite TED Talks, these are just 7 of many but I think they’re important because of the messages they give.

 

How do you define yourself? – Lizzie Velasquez 

Lizzie was deemed the ‘World’s Ugliest Woman’, she’s honest in the fact that of course she cried but what she did next was incredible. Lizzie came back fighting, not only does she educate people on her illness but she also knows when to joke and make light of the situation. Lizzie wanted to be a motivational speaker and after a google search and a few more steps Lizzie did what she set out to do and is one of the most inspiring people and even has her own documentary.

We gotta get outta this place – Piper Kerman

With all of the hype surrounding Orange is the New Black, a lot of people forget that it is somewhat inspired by a true story. For me the book and this Ted Talk are preferable and talk about the real issues and day to day life of prison. Piper’s talk was eye opening and a rally cry for change. I’ve also reviewed her book here.

A broken body isn’t a broken person – Janine Shepherd

I only came across this talk today and it was emotional to watch. Janine was in a horrific accident meaning which broke her neck and back and left her hospitalised for months. I love this talk because I understood a lot of what she was saying about your body breaking and letting you down, in fact it was very emotional to watch, because I’ve learnt similar lessons.

Everyday Sexism – Laura Bates

I watched Laura’s talk before buying her two books. I’ll be honest I wasn’t sure before I watched it but after I realised that there is so much that we are told to ‘just deal with’ when we shouldn’t have to. Laura took a stand and I’m so glad she did, we need more women like her.  

Confessions of a Bad Feminist – Roxanne Gay

This was so important to me when I was trying to embrace feminism because she said what I felt like. Roxanne understands that sometimes you like things that ‘aren’t feminist’ and makes fun out of it as well as reminding us that feminism is so huge that it means so many different things to different people.

I got 99 problems…and Palsey is just one – Maysoon Zayid 

I love Maysoon, she’s absolutely hilarious. One of the things that can make people more comfortable around disability is injecting humor into the situation, which Maysoon does perfectly. It’s also a great speech about determination.

We Should All Be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

Like Beyoncé’s track Flawless? You partially have Chimamanda to thank for that. This is another great talk about feminism and how we teach kids about what’s expected of them. This isn’t her only great Ted Talk, she also spoke on The Dangers of the Single Story in literature (another talk I referenced in my essays for university).

Let me know your favourite TED Talks! I’m always looking for new and exciting ones to watch!