If there is one thing about March, it’s that it’s all about women! As we approach the end of February and look towards March, many of us are beginning to think about how we will celebrate International Women’s Day and Mothers’ Day. In anticipation of these holidays we wanted to share an insight into some famous women throughout history and their love of flowers.

Since this month is focused on celebrating and advocating for women’s rights, we thought it fitting to shine a light on the ways in which these women dedicated much of their careers towards creating a better world for women.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway is altogether elegant, beautiful and talented. She is one of the most popular and well-loved actresses of our time. While her impressive acting career is well documented online, what most people don’t know about her is her love of flowers! Anne Hathaway’s favourite flower is the anemone flower. This flower blooms in a wide variety of colours, making them very diverse, much like Anne’s outstanding career.

Anne Hathaway is not only known for her award-winning career as an actor, but she is also a strong feminist, serving as the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. In her role, which she has had since 2016, Anne Hathaway is dedicated towards raising awareness for the injustice of care work in the home. She is also a founding member of Time’s Up, an organisation dedicated to raising money to support victims of sexual harassment.

Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn was and will forever remain an icon. Not only was she an accomplished actress and a striking model, but she was loved, and will be remembered, for her kind temperament and charming nature. Fittingly, her favourite flower was the Lily of the Valley, a delicate, beautiful and charming flower. Audrey Hepburn loved this flower so much that her wedding bouquet was made up of a bunch of Lily of the Valley flowers and nothing else!

Audrey Hepburn is a role model for women for many reasons. While she was visually beautiful, Audrey Hepburn has, and continues to, teach girls that true beauty comes from within. My favourite quote of Audrey is this. “The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. [...] True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul”.

Frieda Kahlo

Frieda Kahlo was, and still is, both an influential artist and a fashion icon. Frieda Kahlo is known for her bold self-portraits, many of which include flowers. Due to her experience with infertility, Kahlo painted flowers to reflect fertility and life. Kahlo also included flowers in her works because she believed that ‘flowers are like fruits: they speak to us in provocative language and teach us things that are hidden’. Here at Flower Station we also love flowers for their secret meanings.

Frieda Kahlo is also a feminist icon. Her paintings often depicted uniquely feminine issues such as childbirth and miscarriage, due to her struggles with infertility. Such topics were incredibly controversial to publicly discuss at the time of her paintings. She rejected society’s beauty standards and in doing so has become a beauty and style icon for generations of women.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second ever woman to serve as a Supreme Court Judge and has become one of the most inspiring women in history. Her favourite flower was the hydrangea, which symbolises understanding. This is perhaps unsurprising seeing as Ruth Bader Ginsburg dedicated her career to understanding and advocating for the rights of others.

Despite graduating in a tie for first place in her class at Columbia Law School, Ruth Bader Ginsburg struggled to get a job as a lawyer for two reasons: she was a woman and a mother. However, she soon became one of the most esteemed lawyers of all time, fiercely advocating for women’s rights throughout her career.

Princess Diana

Princess Diana is loved for countless reasons, but what you may not have known about her is her love of flowers, in particular, forget-me-nots - she certainly has not been forgotten.

We simply cannot discuss Lady Diana’s love of flowers without paying homage to her divine wedding bouquet. Like Audrey, Lady Diana’s wedding bouquet also boasted lily of the valley!

Princess Diana was ahead of her time, defying expectations and inspiring generations of women. She taught women a very valuable lesson, to not be afraid of being yourself and breaking free from society’s stereotypes of womanhood. While she was a princess, she viewed herself firstly and foremostly, as an ordinary woman: “I have a woman’s instinct, and it’s always a good one”.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé, or should we say ‘Queen Bey’, is a global superstar in every sense of the word. While we know her for her music, her performances and her style, you may not have known is her favourite flower: orchids. Orchids played an important role in Beyoncé's childhood, being her mother’s favourite flowers. In an interview, she revealed that she grew up with orchids. When Beyoncé married rapper, Jay-Z, he gifted her 70,000 white orchids. Her very own perfume brand is even called ‘Heat: wild orchid’.

There are many reasons why Beyoncé is known as Queen Bey. Not only is she a talented musician, but she is also incredibly honest about her female experiences becoming one of the most relatable stars to women all over the world. She was involved in the founding of ‘Chime for Change’, a global campaign advocating gender equality.

Madonna

Madonna is another pop legend who adores flowers. Her favourite flower is the rose, which symbolises love, beauty and strength. This symbolism is fitting when thinking about Madonna’s incredible career with her lyrics concerning love and relationships and her outfits which can be described as nothing less than ground-breaking.

As a woman in the music industry, Madonna has experienced many instances of sexism. At the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, Madonna won Woman of the Year. In her acceptance speech she spoke out against her struggles: ‘Thank you for acknowledging my ability to continue my career for 34 years in the face of blatant sexism and misogyny and constant bullying and relentless abuse”. She ended the speech with an impactful message to women, telling them to appreciate their own worth and to befriend, align with and support other women.

Check out your favourite celebrities’ favourite flowers at Flower Station! Visit us in store or online.