24 under 24: Welcome to GLAMOUR's first ever Gen-Z power list
In a world often full of obstacles, problems and divisions, it’s never been more important for those inheriting issues like the climate crisis and the patriarchy to be game for a fight. Luckily, if there's one thing Gen Z know how to do best, it's stand up for what they believe in, and make their voices heard.
GLAMOUR has pulled together 24 amazing members of this generation who making the world a better place. They’re using their social media presence to call out injustice, they’re campaigning for a better world, they’re championing the importance of self-acceptance. They don't do it for the credit, but we think they damn well deserve some. Read about their work, give them a follow, and get behind their activism.
When artistry meets activism
From climate activists to “trans realness” and designers envisioning fashion trends for queer bodies, if these guys are the future, it's looking bright.
@emmawise18 / InstagramEmma González
Instagram @emmawise18
TikTok emmagonzalez18Emma is a survivor of the Stoneman Douglas high school shooting in Florida 2019. They became a part of the March For Our Lives movement, which saw millions of people call on the government to reform gun laws. Emma's speech at an anti-gun rally in Florida went viral, where they said, "We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks. Not because we are going to be another statistic about mass-shootings in America, but because [...] we are going to be the last mass-shooting [...] We are going to change the law."
Getty ImagesGreta Thunberg
Instagram @gretathunberg
Now a celebrated Swedish environmentalist, Greta made headlines after participating in school climate strikes back in 2018. At just 18 years old, she has since taken on former president of the US Donald Trump and has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize three consecutive times, as well as delivering numerous rallying speeches about the urgency surrounding climate change.
Getty ImagesChristina Adane
Instagram @christina.adane
Meet the person behind the government's U-turn on feeding disadvantaged school children during the holidays. No, not Marcus Rashford. The footballer aligned himself with Christina Adane, who started the petition on behalf of the 1.4 million children who were going hungry. She also co-chairs Bite Back 2020, an organisation that empowers young people to fight against injustices when it comes to access to food.
Getty ImagesAmika George
Instagram @AmikaGeorge
Starting her campaign for free period products at the age of 17, Amika is a key figure in the fight against period poverty. She started not-for-profit group Free Periods back in 2017, which continues to fight for access to free period products for women who need it. She has also written an activism handbook – Make It Happen: How To Be An Activist – which was released earlier this year.
@officialgeorgiarankin / InstagramGeorgia Rankin
Instagram @officialgeorgiarankin
TikTok officialgeorgiarankinGeorgia is a beauty, fashion and lifestyle YouTuber with over 700K subscribers. She has spoken out about how she uses her account to challenge societal stereotypes about disability, as well as posting about body confidence, skincare, and, of course, shopping hauls. Last year, she appeared on ITV1's This Morning, opening up about how her wheelchair has improved her confidence and how she forged a career in YouTube.
@aaliyahramseyy / InstagramAaliyah Ramsey
Instagram @aaliyahramseyy
After being told to shave for their prom, Aaliyah decided to turn up with "hairy pits and no shame". They have gone on to model, speak truth to power and create an amazing Tiktok channel discussing menstruation (and how it's not gender or sex specific) as well as the problems surrounding plastic period products and female beauty standards.
@mikaelaloach / InstagramMikaela Loach
Instagram @mikaelaloach
TikTok mikaelaloachGlobal Citizen Prize-nominated Mikaela is a climate justice activist and medical student, who uses her Instagram account to campaign to her 113,000 followers about climate crisis issues, as well as opposing white supremacy and advocating for the rights of migrant workers. This month, she stood outside 10 Downing Street to oppose the development of a new oil development in the west of Shetland called the Cambo field.
Getty ImagesMaya Ghazal
Instagram @ghazalmia
She’s the world’s first female Syrian refugee pilot – need we say anything more? Well, if we must: this year Maya was appointed goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. After arriving in the UK in 2015, she taught herself English and now works tirelessly to ensure that refugees are better understood and supported.
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Getty ImagesMalala Yousafzai
Instagram @malala
Malala is an advocate for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. She grew up in Pakistan, but was transferred in a critical condition to a hospital in Birmingham after being shot at by a gunman in retaliation to her activism, particularly trying to stop young girls from being banned from school. Since, she has founded a non-profit – the Malala Fund – as well as completing a degree at Oxford University and written a book, I Am Malala.
@kenyashania / InstagramKenya Shania
Instagram @kenyashania
Non-binary model, blogger and writer Kenya regularly serves up gorgeous looks on their Instagram, as well as talking self-awareness, self-acceptance, gender and much more on their podcast Level With Shania.
Getty ImagesAbby Roberts
Instagram @abbyroberts
Tiktok abbyrobertsAn overnight Instagram sensation, one of Abby's signature looks was recreated by top make-up influencer James Charles, doubling her followers in 24 hours. Her transformational make-up looks have turned her into The Grinch, Darth Vader and Tiger King's Joe Exotic, providing much-needed respite and entertainment during various Covid-19 lockdowns.
- @grete.henriette / Instagram
Grete Henriette
Instagram @grete.henriette
London-based designer Grete creates 16th-century looks for queer bodies, pushing for gender neutral values when it comes to future fashion norms. She uses upholstery materials and friends' jewellery to create her boundary-bashing, regal designs. One of her key aims is to disrupt the stigma around queerness that she believes exists in the fashion world, particularly when it comes to trans and non-binary individuals.
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Getty ImagesYara Shahidi
Instagram @yarashahidi
TikTok yarashahidiFor six years, Yara played Zoey in US primetime comedy Black-ish, as well as headlining a spin off in 2018, Grown-ish. She then received a recommendation letter from Michelle Obama herself for Harvard University, where she now studies Sociology and African-American Studies, having caught the former first lady's eye working towards encouraging young people to vote .
@tayafrancis / InstagramTaya Francis
Instagram @tayafrancis
Fashion textiles design graduate Taya started her own knitwear brand in 2019, Knit & Ting, which is dually inspired by her British upbringing and West Indian heritage. Her aim was to combine the chunky knitwear that is so popular in the UK with Jamaican bootleg trends. Taya’s Instagram is a grid of looks, with her love for Clarks shoes (where she used to work in sales) also very apparent.
Getty ImagesAmandla Stenberg
Instagram @amandlastenberg
TikTok amandlafrAs well as playing a starring role in 2018 film The Hate U Give, which aimed to bring Black Lives Matter to the big screen, Amandla has been outspoken in their activism for the LGBT youth population and community – having identified as both bisexual and pansexual herself. They have also called out cultural appropriation in a video named Don't Cash Crop My Cornrows.
@achhib / InstagramAnita Chhiba
Instagram @achhib
Anita is the founder of Diet Paratha, an Instagram account with 13k followers, which celebrates South Asian people across the creative industries, including fashion and beauty. Anita explained to Pop Sugar that she uses Diet Paratha to encourage fellow South Asian people not to be restricted by stereotypes, saying "You don't have to be tied to these cultural stereotypes to be relevant. You can grow outward, and that's the only way we're going to kind of break free from these cultural restraints."
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Getty ImagesHoney Ross
Instagram @honeykinny
TikTok honeykinnyWhile she may be TV star Jonathan Ross’s daughter, Honey Ross is undoubtedly meteoric in her own right. A writer, model and body positivity activist, she is committed to using her social media presence as a space for accepting and loving all body types and countering toxic narratives and expectations around our appearances. She co-founded the Pink Protest, an activism platform involved in campaigning for free period products and ending FGM, and co-hosts the Body Protest podcast, which looks at the relationships we have with ourselves.
- @naomiii.el / Instagram
Naomi El
TikTok nayyeeohhhmeee
Recogised by TikTok as a ‘voice for change’, 20-year-old student Naomi is schooling the world on what it's like to be a black woman living in the UK. Her Tiktok boasts important discussions around the patriarchy, microaggressions, the racism following England's Euros loss and much more.
Getty ImagesZendaya
Instagram @zendaya
TikTok zendayaoffcialWhile she refuses to identify as an activist, superstar actor Zendaya has been candid about all manner of issues – including colourism (acknowledging how it has benefitted her, at times), and her insistence that Black actors were cast as her character's family members in TV hit show Euphoria. She has also hit back against cultural appropriation and rejecting parts that she felt should go to darker-skinned actors.
Getty ImagesMaisie Williams
Instagram @maisie_williams
The Game of Thrones star became the WWF's first global ambassador this year. "Climate change is often interpreted as an overwhelming force, but my personal goal is to show people everywhere that each and every one of us plays a vital role in making a difference," she said in a video for the organisation, announcing her appointment.
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@yazdemand / InstagramYaz Demand
Instagram @yazdemand
Tiktok yazdemandA champion, icon and amazing example within the Black trans community, Yaz posts to her 290,000 followers on TikTok about her experiences being a Black trans woman. As her bio says, she’s “giving trans goddess realness”. She calls out transphobic behaviour, talks about what it’s like to take hormones, as well as what it’s like to date as a trans person.
- @florence.simpsonn / Instagram
Flo Simpson
Instagram @florence.simpsonn
TikTok florence.simpsonnIn the midst of a painful breakup during lockdown, Flo started a Tiktok channel to document her efforts to lose weight and finally fit back into a pair of jeans that she loved. A simple dream led to a whole lot more – she now has over 600,000 followers, many of which have taken inspiration from her journey and her 60-second videos, which she started out posting with updates on the food and exercise choices she was making. Now, she has broadened the conversation with her followers, talking openly about loving your body and her experiences with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
Getty ImagesOlivia Rodrigo
Instagram @oliviarodrigo
TikTok livbedumbThe quintessential Gen Z singer and star summed up the generation's mood towards growing up, romance and break ups. Her debut album Sour was incendiary, perfectly summing up the sweet pain of heartbreak, and her voice is important to many. She was invited to the White House by President Joe Biden to discuss and promote the importance of young people getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
@eviemeg / InstagramEvie Meg
Instagram @eviemeg
Tiktok thistrippyhippieAt 20 years old, Evie has built a platform raising awareness and being real about what it's like to live with Tourette's syndrome. Her TikTok channel looks at what a seizure might look like, how she deals with her tics and other misunderstood elements of the condition.
