7 Female Celebrities Who Were My Role Models when I Was Younger ...

Well, she's Oprah! She didn't start out with a celebrity status, she was just a Southern girl who wanted to get away from her bad upbringing. Before she knew it, she was hosting her own talk show and eventually created her own network! Besides all of her accomplishments, what I always admired about Oprah and why she is still an amazing female celebrity role model, is because she stays true to what she believes in. She didn't turn her talk show into a gossip fest like many others, and she rarely speaks negatively about people.

No matter how many years have passed since her tragic death, her sons, her country, and little girls everywhere who adored her will make sure this female celebrity role model's legend lives on forever. She pushed the envelope of what it meant to be a "Princess" and did things her own way. Princess Diana helped those in need and made us aware of horrible situations we didn't even know were happening.

Yes, I know she's a fictional character from the hit '90s show Dawson's Creek! That being said, Joey Potter was a female celebrity role model who helped me through my awkward teen years. She taught me how to stand up for myself, how to say no to guys who just wanted something from me, and how to be true to myself. Nowadays every teen character on TV just wants to jump into bed before even considering what they are really doing or if they love the other person. I wish there were more girls like Joey Potter on TV today for teens to look up to.

Yep, that's little Natalie Portman! She always plays strong female characters and is herself a smart, talented, and beautiful female celebrity role model for women of any age to look up to. I first saw her in the movie "The Professional" in 1994 when she was just 13 years old. She was a kick ass character who learned how to shoot a gun from a hit man! Did you know she graduated from Harvard in 2003 with a degree in Psychology? I told you she was smart!

Figure skating doesn't seem to be as popular as it used to be in the '90s and early 2000s. One reason I fell in love with the sport was this incredible female celebrity role model right here, Michelle Kwan. She was always sweet and graceful. Kwan may have only won Silver and Bronze medals at the Olympics, but she is gold in my heart! Did you know that in 2006 former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made Kwan a public diplomacy ambassador? Pretty cool for someone who just looks like a figure skater to the mass public. She graduated with her masters degree in international studies in 2011 and continues her role as a diplomacy ambassador for Obama's staff.

Okay, so she may not have always been the greatest female celebrity role model. However, teens can see that she went through some troubled times and turned her life around for the better. She now has her own production company called Flower Films, is a proud new momma, is the face of CoverGirl, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! I love that Drew is a quirky flower child who has her own style. She is someone I would want my daughters to grow up to be inspired by.

I had to include the woman who made it possible for me to be a journalist, Miss Barbara Walters! She pushed her way through in a world that was dominated by men in the '60s and '70s as a co-host on the "Today" show. In 1974 she was the first woman on a morning network news program to gain the title "co-host" and then became the first female co-host on the nightly news program two years later. She is now 83 years old and still co-hosts "The View," but has recently announced that she will retire next year. What an amazing female celebrity role model for women everywhere!

What female celebrity role models inspired you and influenced you as a young woman?