This poet is empowering teenage girls in the coolest way

When you think about poetry, you don’t always think radical and empowering. But Clementine von Radics is not some quiet artist staring pensively at a lake and scribbling poems in a notebook. The 23-year-old is using slam poetry to tell teenage girls that they can do whatever they set their minds to. Her message is so crazy amazing you just have to watch it for yourself. Here is a video of von Radics performing her poem “Advice for Teenage Girls with Wild Ambitions and Trembling Hearts” at the Soap Boxing Poetry Slam in February.

In her poem, von Radics cites many examples of young women throughout history who did not let their age or gender hold them back. The traveling poet discusses the power of Anne Frank’s kindness and Joan of Arc’s bravery. She went on to provide many examples of why teenage girls are capable of more than they know. von Radics passionately discussed Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, who “invented science fiction at 16.” But von Radics didn’t just focus on fabulous, fearless ladies of days gone by, she spoke about the power of modern women as well. She talked about Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and her fight for girls’ education.

She also took time to address the haters, saying “There will always be those that say you are too young, or too delicate to make anything happen for yourself.” But the poem’s powerful message was to not let these people hold you back. von Radics also emphasized how important your teenage years are, comparing these difficult years to “standing on the precipice.” In the powerful end of her poem, von Radics tells girls to jump headfirst into greatness. She powerfully states, “You are so much stronger than the world has ever even told you you could be.” What an amazing girl power quote!

This poem is so empowering it makes you want to jump out of bed and take on the day. If you need us, we’ll be watching this video on a loop for about 3 hours.

(Image via here.)