20 Times Priyanka Chopra Wore The Girl Boss Label Effortlessly
This ‘desi girl’ has taken the world by the storm over and over again. From winning Miss World back in 2000, becoming one of the most sought after actresses in Bollywood to breaking the barriers, and becoming a household name in American TV, as well as Hollywood.
This icon has been the talk of the town for her projects, singing, marriage to Nick Jonas, as well as her philanthropic work over the years. With over 58 million followers on Instagram, she is an influencer and trendsetter, often seen supporting women, causes, and more.
Here’s a look at 20 times she has made India, as well as women around the globe, proud.
This year, she and her husband Nick are supporting the Feed holiday campaign started by Lauren Bush. The goal is to provide over 300,000 school meals to kids in need across countries.
In 2016, the actor was named in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People issue alongside the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Leonardo DiCaprio.
She was named a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for children’s rights in 2016 and has been the UNICEF India Ambassador for years.
In an interview, when quizzed about her stand on feminism she said, “We’re not supposed to be equal, but we’re supposed to be given equal opportunities, that’s important.” We agree, girl!
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she and her husband Nick have donated an undisclosed amount to 10 charities including Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES), UNICEF, Goonj, Doctors Without Borders, No Kid Hungry, and SAG-AFTRA to aid relief efforts.
Early on in her career, she started The Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education that works on providing education and medical care for young girls. The erstwhile Bareilly girl donates 10 percent of her earnings to the foundation.
In 2015, she started her own production house with mom Madhu Chopra with a focus on regional cinema.
She has fiercely guarded her “patriotic” sentiments over a tweet amidst tensions between India and Pakistan over LoC. When called promoting “nuclear war between India and Pakistan”, she tweeted, “War is not something that I’m really fond of, but I am patriotic.”
Priyanka is a brand ambassador of Assam and has featured in several initiatives to support tourism in the state. Earlier this year, when the state faced devastating floods, she donated money towards relief measures and also urged her fans to do the same.
In 2018, she helped and launched Holberton School — a coding education company that teaches software development.
She is a spokesperson for United Nation’s Girl Up campaign and an ambassador for Girl Rising, the global campaign for female education.
She is an investor in the dating and networking app Bumble that focusses on empowering women.
In 2017, she went to Zimbabwe to speak with child survivors of sexual violence.
She smoothly called out a sexist remark about her friend Meghan Markle. On The Wendy Williams show (When PC made an appearance in 2017), host Wendy Williams introduced Meghan Markle as Prince Harry's girlfriend, when PC was quick to set the record straight with “also Meghan Markle, Actress, Suits.”
As a UNICEF ambassador, Priyanka has been associated with the Deepshikha campaign, which has helped an estimated 70,000 girls and young women in Maharashtra learn entrepreneurial skills and develop self-confidence through financial education and leadership education.
Along with her focus on child’s rights, Priyanka also advocates for environmental non-profits whose work helps developing nations improve living conditions. She has been a brand ambassador for NDTV’s Greenathon, which works to help provide rural villages with electrical supplies that are environmentally friendly and sustainable.
She has partnered with a leading footwear brand to donate more than 50,000 pairs of shoes to school-going children in Belize in the Caribbean.
She has pledged her support to ‘Beauty Without Boundaries 2020’ – a global online auction of artwork made by underprivileged Indian children. The auction will feature over 20 artworks created by underprivileged children from Mumbai who have been affected by the Coronavirus led pandemic.
The Padma Shri awardee donated $72,000 to Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai for a cancer ward. This ward was named after her father and was inaugurated in 2013.
She has also wrapped up her memoir and book of essays Unfinished which is available for pre-order now.
From a small-town girl to the stage of Miss World, to the glamour filled fashion and movie land to singing and now being an author, she truly has achieved quite a bit and looks like there is no stopping her.
(Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta)
