Ashley Costello: "You can be more than just a pretty girl who plays by the rules"

For me, every day is women’s day. I was surrounded by powerful and strong women for the entirety of last year. I always knew I was a strong woman, but touring with Lzzy Hale and Maria Brink all of 2018 really helped me to discover even more so, the power that truly lies within myself.

So, it’s important to point out and acknowledge the women who have helped us grow, and who are shaping the women we are becoming. So today, if you don’t already do so on a regular basis, take some time to think about the women that have shaped you and honor them, even if all that means is remembering what gifts they gave you and appreciating them for that. Think about the women that laid the bricks that without, we would not be on our own journeys now. They cleared the path for us. For me, musically, Gwen Stefani cleared the way for me. She taught me that you can be 'one of the boys', and be powerful and commanding, all while never losing your girlish femininity and beauty.

Without her showing, you can be more than just a pretty girl who plays by the rules. She taught me that you didn’t need to be 100 per cent masculine to gain respect. That you can own a feminine disposition and still have power. That women don’t need to back down to make other people feel good about their egos. And besides that, my own mother, showed me everyday what it means to face life head on, Unafraid. I am a strong woman, because a strong woman raised me.