Women whose accomplishments have marked milestones in the history of feminism are joining #DiorChinUp, a new initiative by Dior that is designed to empower the second sex by interviewing extraordinary women. Charlize Theron, ambassador of Dior’s legendary J’adore perfume, model and actress Cara Delevingne, actress Yalitza Aparicio, photographer Pamela Tulizo, and model Paloma Elsesser are just some of the women who partook in this series of short filmed portraits. Each of them shares how they have grappled with their identity and what continues to push them to fight for equality.

The movement marks Dior’s commitment to celebrating femininity by highlighting these women’s stories of courage and self-affirmation. In bringing together a diverse cast of voices, the initiative says that no matter how different in career or background, women are ultimately united by their underlying strength and desire. As a woman today, simply to want is to accord yourself power.

“Whatever people say, you must be certain what you are capable of,” so says Yalitza Aparicio as she encourages women to relentlessly pursue their dreams with unabashed belief in their inner strength. But thanks to the diverse cast interviewed by Dior, every woman offers a different perspective, and they often speak to unique issues in their portrait. Cara Delevignge expresses gratitude for how far women’s rights have come, saying “it’s an amazing time to be a woman, to be able to be multifaceted, multilayered, to be unapologetic” as she remembers her “very curious” childhood self. Finding her place has “definitely been a journey,” but Delevignge always knew she would never be content following the herd, and that she knew she would have to make the difficult choice to carve her own path.

Pamela Tulizo similarly says that, for her, being a woman “is like an inner voice telling me ‘you must do more,’” attributing her ambition and subsequent successes to an inner power unique to her gender. Paloma Elsesser has perhaps a different take, instead of hoping for a world in which “we don’t have to perform what it is to be a woman.” She sees her career in modeling as a chance to break free from stereotypes, as “fashion is a powerful house” to advocate for multifaceted and diverse representations of women.

The throughline in all these portraits is that pursuing your dreams is a compulsory subject, and you must never stop fighting for what you want. #DiorChinUp was created with the aim to tell women across the world that real equality is achievable, that the glass ceiling is becoming ever more fragile, and that we can learn from the stories of those who broke it before us.

WRITTEN BY BRIANNA DI MONDA

EDITED BY KAREN YABUTA