We here at Preen will always be the first to tell you that women are pretty special. And until we finally reach a time when equality is given to all sexes, we won’t stop talking about the many achievements women have made in their respective fields of expertise.

So for International Women’s Day, we asked 35 women we look up to, from business women to designers, from photographers to doctors, and from models to gallery owners, for their own respective idols and why these figures help them out in kicking-ass one debunked stereotype at a time.

Click on the slideshow above and see the gallery of great women and the icons who inspire them!

With additional reporting by Jacqueline Arias, Jacque De Borja, and Cai Subijano

Art by Dorothy Guya