21 Badass British Women You Should Be Following, If You're Not Already

Want to know the women to keep your eye on in 2021?! Look no further.

Today is International Women's Day, so let's take a look at some of the fantastic Black British women you should be following in 2021.

1. London Hughes

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Comedian London Hughes started out presenting on Babestation and made her way to LA where she was introduced to Kevin Hart. He took her under his wing and you can catch her stand up To Catch a D*ck streaming now on Netflix. I fell in love with her on Celebs Go Dating where she obviously went on dates for the free food.

2. Oloni

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Hilarious blogger and sex adviser Oloni encourages Black women to be open and positive with their sex lives.. You can find her causing a frenzy on Twitter simply by saying "Ladies..." and having women respond with wild sex stories or dilemmas. And yes, she will be 21 forever.

3. Gina Yashere

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For many years Gina has been a well-known name in Black British comedy, and she's the first Brit to appear on Def Comedy Jam. She currently stars in Bob Hearts Abishola. But to every noughties kid, she'll forever be Tanya from The Lenny Henry Show saying "I don't fink so".

4. Susie Wokoma

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You may recognise Susie as super religious and utterly HILARIOUS Cynthia from E4's Chewing Gum. As well as staring in Enola Holmes and Year of the Rabbit, she has been in the writers' room for series two of Sex Education, AND co-wrote an episode of The Reluctant Landlord.

5. Corrina Antrobus

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In 2014 Corrina founded Bechel Test Fest – A feminist film festival based in London. She has been awarded a Women In Hollywood Trailblazer award and has been nominated for a Screen Rising Star Award in 2019. She also has the cutest style!

6. Bernardine Evaristo OBE

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Bernardine was the winner of the 2019 Brooker Prize for her novel Girl, Woman, Other and is currently curating a book series named Black Britain: Writing Back. I'm sure it will be featured in many book clubs soon so get ahead of the curve.

7. Lady Phyll

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The creator of UK Black Pride, Phyll Opoku-Gyimah – otherwise known as Lady Phyll – raises issues of race within the LGBTQ+ community. Lady Phyll, you are one of my biggest inspirations.

8. Alex Rita

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Alex is a co-founder of Touching Bass – a record label, radio show, and club night. She also makes bespoke garments for Calm Roots. Her Instagram photos of her travels make me want to explore the world and embrace different cultures.

9. Yinka Bokinni

Instagram: @yinkabokinni

As well as hosting the Capital Xtra Breakfast Show, Yinka has given a Ted Talk and explored her past in the documentary Damilola: The Boy Next Door. You can watch her TedTalk here. Fun Fact: Yinka also has a law degree.

10. Rhiane Fatinikun

Instagram: @itsnotrhiane

After noticing there wasn't a safe space for women of colour, Rhiane created Black Girls Hike. It helps encourage women of colour to take up an activity that isn't often geared towards them. I'm going to try hiking in 2021!

11. Bolu Babalola

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In addition to going viral with her photoshopped photo of her and Michael B. Jordan, Bolu released her debut novel Love in Colour in 2020. Oh, and she finally got to meet her internet bae a few years back, and I wasn't jealous at all.

12. Kuchenga

Instagram: @kuchenga

Known as 'The Lady of Letters', Kuchenga is a trans feminist currently writing a novel about a young black trans girl. You can read about her fight for trans visibility here.

13. Clara Amfo

Instagram: @claraamfo

Clara hosts the mid-morning show on BBC Radio 1, was a contestant in 2020's Strictly Come Dancing, and is Barbie's 'Role Model Doll' for 2021. Her mum is also an absolute treasure and Clara often posts the funny conversations she has with her.

14. Lolly Adefope

Instagram: @lollyadefope

Lolly is a stand–up comedian who has won two Chortle awards. She has most recently starred in BBC comedy Ghosts. She was quoted saying "I'm willing to cut people off if they betray the people I love", which might just be my 2021 motto.

15. Bree Runway

Instagram: @breerunway

Bree Runway is a rapper, singer, and songwriter from East London. Her latest single "ATM" featured Missy Elliott. And also... FASHION GOALS!

16. Hemah K

Instagram: @hemah_k

Hemah K has interviewed many popular artists and film stars. After joining their international team, she presented the BET Hip-hop Awards. Every selfie she posts makes me wanna get a pixie cut.

17. Ade Hassan

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Unable to find underwear in her skin tone, Ade Hassan founded Nubian Skin, a clothing company for darker skin tones. She's even collaborated with Beyoncé! It's amazing how empowering underwear made specifically for people of colour can be!

18. Celeste

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If you're looking for an Amy Winehouse-esque singer look no further than Celeste. In 2019, she won the Rising Star Award at the Brit Awards. Her album Not Your Muse reached No.1 on the UK Album Charts, so you can expect to hear a lot more from her!

19. Zeze Millz

Instagram: @zezemillz

The Zeze Millz Show has become one of the best shows that discuss today’s most interesting and fascinating issues. I love how she talks to her guests so easily, really asks about pressing issues, and isn't afraid to divide opinions.

20. Tanya Compas

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Tanya created Exist Loudly, a London-based organisation that creates spaces of joy & community for queer Black youth. I'm excited to see what's next for Tanya as past events, like Queer Black Christmas went so well!

21. Chanté Joseph

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Chanté is the host of Channel 4's How Not To Be Racist & The Face Magazine's My Public Me Podcast. She has been very open about ADHD, how health gaps affect Black women, and how being diagnosed as an adult impacted her life. I've learnt so much from her about the subject.

Find out more about International Women’s Day HERE