The Petite Women Who Rock the World
Food for Thought
“…because talent isn’t genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great, or nothing.”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
Though women’s history month has just passed, women—often underserved and overlooked—deserve to be acknowledged for their mighty force every day. Some women may not even seem as much at first glance, but you definitely can’t deny their talent. Championing women, who at first glance may seem fragile due to their small stature, but who rock this world in a metaphorical, and for some, literal sense, deserve celebration.
A newsletter dedicated to International Women’s Day from Julia Wischke, a historian and founder of the German Culture Lecture Project in Berlin, told the story of Ruth Westheimer, better known as Dr. Ruth, calling her “a small […], smiling, cozy woman.” This makes one thing clear: women of similar fragile build, who despite all the difficulties, losses, pain, fear, and despair that fell on their tiny shoulders, continued and continue to change this world for the better and encourage others to feats. Including the author of this text, who, with her height of 150 cm (or 4 feet 11 inches if you like), is still deeply surprised every time she comes across such inspiring stories.
Ruth Westheimer, or Dr. Ruth, was 140 cm tall (or 4 feet 7 inches). She was born on June 4, 1928, in Frankfurt, Germany, into an Orthodox Jewish family. During the Holocaust, she was rescued with the Kindertransport program and taken to Switzerland. In 1945, after learning of the death of her parents, Ruth went to Palestine, where she became a member of a paramilitary organization and underwent training as a sniper. Yes, you read that correctly. This profession is one of many she once had.
She was wounded in 1948 and moved to Paris in 1950, where she studied psychology. In 1956, Ruth continued her studies at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, and then at Cornell Medical School. Ruth Westheimer rose to fame when she appeared on radio station WYNY, sharing her expertise in sexology. This petite lady bravely opened up a space for the public to discuss issues that were previously taboo at worst or awkward at best for public discussion.
The story continues with another heroine, whose talent as a storyteller touched the hearts of readers all over the world. Isabel Allende is 152 cm, or 4 feet 11 inches tall. The world-famous writer was born on August 2, 1942, in Lima, Peru, but lived her youth in Chile until the 1973 Chilean coup d'état during which her uncle Salvador Allende died. Fearing for the lives of her family, the future writer had to seek refuge in Venezuela, where she wrote her debut novel, The House of the Spirits, which instantly became a worldwide bestseller.
Isabel Allende has experienced many things in her life: the privileges of traveling the world in her youth, which influenced her overall development and understanding of the world; upheaval, and forced migration, the loss of her daughter. Despite all the pain she experienced, the writer continued to create worlds to escape inside of as well as reflect on and analyze historical events, weaving into them the personal stories of her characters.
Isabel Allende shows the world the true power of love through her works and her own example. In 2019, when she was 76, she married for the third time, to Roger Cukras, a New York lawyer, proving once again that there is no age limit for love. To date, Isabel Allende has written 29 books, and her foundation supports initiatives that help women around the world. There are also several film adaptations of her works and a mini-series dedicated to the life of the writer.
The book The Heat of the Moment: A Firefighter’s Stories of Life and Death Decisions by Dr. Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, a Chief Fire Officer of the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, neuroscientist, and writer, leaves a deep impression. With a height of 156 cm (5 feet, 1.42 inches), our tiny hero went through many of life’s tests.
Sabrina was born into a Jewish family and became homeless after her father’s death. Living on the streets and hiding in dodgy buildings, she managed to survive and graduate from school. Sabrina began her career as a firefighter, and with her build, she had to wear a uniform and equipment that weighed half as much as she did.
She was the first female firefighter in her department and faced both misogyny and anti-Semitism. In parallel, she went to university and received a PhD in behavioral neuroscience from Cardiff University. Her research has been incorporated into firefighter training programs around the world. Sabrina is married to a firefighter, and together they are raising a daughter. Having been through a lot in her life, Sabrina continues to save the lives of others with her work and sets an example of courage and resilience.
With her height of 142 cm (4 feet 8 inches), Simone Biles proved that there are no limitations for small women in sports, having won a record 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals. She and her three siblings were placed into foster care because their mother was unable to cope with her responsibilities. Then they were adopted by the maternal grandfather and his relatives.
After surviving childhood trauma from foster care, racism, and sexual abuse, as well as the mental health issues that followed, Simone Biles has opened up a broader discourse on the mental health of athletes and made a triumphant return to major sporting events at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning three gold medals and one silver.
From spectacular sports to music, which an entire generation of girls and boys grew up on, and which is still listened to with pleasure by a wide audience around the globe. Avril Lavigne is 154.9 cm (5 feet 1 inch), and this particular girl rocked the world with her debut album Let Go (2002), not only having occupied her niche in pop-rock culture, but also having found a response from millions of listeners with her songs.
In the music universe, it is not easy to win the love and admiration of male colleagues, playing on equal terms and gathering crowds of thousands. But the petite Avril was up for the challenge, and with her wild energy, charisma, and compositional talent, she has shaken this world. After releasing subsequent successful albums, in 2015 Avril was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which sidelined the singer for several years. Having defeated the disease, Avril returned to the big stage, and she continues to attract public attention to preventive measures against Lyme disease.
Avril Lavigne’s Colombian colleague Shakira stands at 155.6 cm (5 feet 1 ¼ inches) and is no less of a rocker. Shakira comes from a family of Lebanese, Spanish, and Italian descent, so hot oriental and Mediterranean influences are felt in her work, mixed with rock and roll. During her career, Shakira managed to release 12 albums, and her songs are known all over the world.
After splitting from Spanish footballer Gerard Piqué in 2022, with whom she was together for 11 years and raising two sons, the star disappeared for two years to recover. Using her talent and music as a means of healing, Shakira has made a triumphant return with a new album with a bold and clear title: Las mujeres ya no lloran - Women Don’t Cry Anymore. Shakira continues to light up the world with her talent, spirit, charisma, and courage.
These are only a handful of the many stories about the resilience of tiny women who were destined to go through many trials and who withstood them with dignity and influenced the world. A quote by Louisa May Alcott from Little Women sums up this sentiment beautifully, forever serving as a beacon for all women, regardless of height, body type, race, or political views, which are only social constructs designed to divide people—on the contrary, this quote should unite and inspire all women to continue, as our heroines do with their example:
“I want to do something splendid...something heroic or wonderful that won’t be forgotten after I’m dead. I don’t know what, but I’m on the watch for it and mean to astonish you all someday.”
