Women have had hundreds upon hundreds of reasons to carry protest posters since the dawn of time, whether it was for voting rights, reproductive rights, or most recently, against sexual predators holding powerful positions. What started with the first well-organized, not so peaceful protest for suffrage in as early as 1913, is now often supported by men also, who understand that feminism and related social issues are not some evil entity, but rather thinking of women as equals. Sadly enough, ladies still have to prove their worthiness to some.

To celebrate the strength and bravery of all the women and girls who have taken to the streets, stood up for their beliefs and gender equality, and stared down anyone who tried to get in their way, we’ve compiled the best photos of female social activists and protesters from around the world, and they’re sure to speak to your renegade soul. They might even inspire you to get a protest sign in your own hands the next time you have a chance. Be sure to vote for the most powerful ones, and let us know if you’ve ever committed an act of defiance for a good cause in the comments.

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#1 Two Women Kissing During An Anti Gay Marriage Demonstration In France, 2012

#2 Kathrine Switzer Was The First Woman To Run The Boston Marathon. When Organizer Jock Semple Realised A Woman Was Running He Tried To Tackle Her, 1967

#3 A Demonstrator Faces Down A Riot Policeman During A Pro Democracy Protest In Santiago, Chile, 11 September 2016

#4 A Girl Begging The Officers Not To Use Force Against The Protesters. Bulgaria, November 2013

#5 A Woman Sits In Front Of Riot Police Blocking The Road To Protect Protesters During The Anti-Government Protest In Seoul, South Korea, 24 April 2015

#6 Maria-Teresa “Tess” Asplund Stands Up To Uniformed Demonstrators In A N**i Demonstration In Borlänge, Sweden, 1 May 2015

#7 Marilyn Webb Holds Up A Sign As She Protests For Women’s Rights In Front Of The Federal Trade Commission Headquarters While Policemen Look On During Richard Nixon’s Inauguration Weekend, Washington, Dc, 18-21 January 1969

#8 16-Year-Old Student, Lucie Myslikova Confronting A Neo-N**i Demonstrator

#9 Protester Ieshia Evans Is Detained By Law Enforcement Near The Headquarters Of The Baton Rouge Police Department In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, During A Demonstration Against The Shooting Death Of Alton Sterling, 9 July 2016

#10 Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst Is Arrested At A Demonstration Outside Buckingham Palace, January 1914

#11 A Woman Dances In Front Of Riot Police During A Demonstration In The Kadikoy Neighborhood Of Istanbul Against The Eviction Of A Squatted Building, 9 December 2014

#12 Photo Of Saffiyah Khan Smiling At An English Defence League (Edl) Protester In Birmingham Was Snapped After She Stepped In To Defend A “Fellow Brummie”

#13 Woman Campaigning For The Vote Is Restrained By Policemen, C 1910. British Women Did Not Win Full Voting Rights Until 1928

#14 Zulaikha Patel, 13, Along With Other Schoolgirls, Protests Racist Hair Policies At Pretoria Girls High School, South Africa, 2016

#15 Feminists Are Burning Some Election Posters To Fight For Women’s Suffrage. Photograph. Paris, France, 12 May 1935

#16 Woman Yelling At A Cop During An Anti-Apartheid Protest, 1981

#17 A Woman Kneels Down And Holds Up A Feather While Facing Police Moving In To Break Up Anti-Fracking Protesters In New Brunswick, October 2013

#18 Jasmina Golubovska Kisses The Shield Of A Police Officer In Front Of The Macedonian Government Building In Skopje, 5 May 2015

#19 Woman Braves The Water Cannon In Turkey, 2013

#20 Indian Policemen Restrain A Tibetan Woman During A Demonstration At The Chinese Embassy. On The Occasion Of The Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day, New Delhi, 12 March 2008

#21 Feminist Activists Protest On The Streets During A National Demonstration Called “Ni Una Menos (Not One Woman Less)” To Demand Justice For All Women Victims Of Gender Crimes And In Repudiation To The [end] Of Florencia Aguirre, A Nine Year Old Girl Who Was Strangled, Burned And Buried By His Father In The City Of Coyhaique, Valparaiso, Chile, 19 October 19 2016

#22 English Suffragette Annie Kenney (1879 – 1953) Is Arrested During A Demonstration

#23 A Woman Gestures To Riot Policemen During A Protest Organized By The Rally For Culture And Democracy (Rcd), Algiers, 02 July

#24 A Woman In Buenos Aires Protests With A Sign That Says “Stop Sexist Violence”

#25 Two Garment Workers Picketing, Circa 1909

#26 A Member Of The “Women In Black”, An International Peace Network, Lays On The Ground Wrapped In A Plastic Bag, As A Sign Of Protest In Downtown Novi Sad, Serbia, 10 December 2005

#27 A Woman Listens To A Rally With Her Mouth Taped Shut During The ‘Justice For All’ March In Washington, Dc, 13 December 2014

#28 A Woman Stands In Front Of Police Officers As They Block Access To A Street During A Protest Against Proposed Labour Reforms In Paris, 14 June 2016

#29 An Anti Government Protester Flashes A Victory Sign During The Clashes Between Protesters And Riot Police On Taksim Square In Istanbul, 22 June 2013

#30 A Palestinian Woman Argues With An Israeli Border Policeman During A Protest Against Jewish Settlements In The West Bank Village Of Nabi Saleh

#31 Masked Women Protesting Against Gender Violence During A Demonstration In Madrid For The International Day Against Gender Violence, 25 November 2015

#32 Chinese Riot Police Watch A Muslim Ethnic Uighur Woman Protest In Urumqi In China’s Far West Xinjiang Province Following A Third Day Of Unrest, 7 July 2009

#33 An Afro-Ecuadorean Woman Argues With Police Guarding A Fence In Front Of The National Assembly In Quito. In Protest Of A Proposed Water Privatization Law That Could Impact The Country’s Indigenous Population, 5 May 2010

#34 A Demonstrator Holds A Flower That She Says Is A Symbol Of Hope, 3 December 1999

#35 A Woman Protester Waves The Victory Sign During Clashes With Military Police Near Tahrir Square, 17 January 2013

#36 Police Arrest A Demonstrator Affiliated With The Occupy Wall Street Movement After She And Fellow Protesters Attempted To Cross The Brooklyn Bridge On The Motorway. The Arrested Woman Is Seen Screaming Out Her Name To Supporters On The Pedestrian Bridge Above Who Were Recording Names Of Those Arrested. This Portion Of The Bridge Is Not Intended For Pedestrians And As The Marchers Attempted To Cross, They Were Stopped Midway By Police. Hundreds Of Protesters Were Arrested, New York City, 1 October 2011

#37 A Protest Led By Students For Justice In Palestine At The University Of Maryland, College Park, 2009

#38 A Woman Argues With Belarus Police Officers Blocking A Street During An Opposition Rally In Minsk, Belarus As Hundreds Of People Were Arrested Over Protests Against Authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, 25 March 2017

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38 Of The Most Powerful Images Of Women Protesters Of All Time