MCAD MFA Illustration alum Julie Van Grol ’14 has gone viral. Her instagram phenomenon #100DaysofBadassBabes has been shared and embraced by artists, journalists, philanthropic organizations, and personal heroes of Van Grol herself.

Late last month the Huffington Post featured the project on its blog, highlighting not only Van Grol’s artistic chops, but the cultural import of the project: “As a firm believer in the idea that gender exists on a spectrum, it was important to Van Grol to be sure to celebrate both cis females as well as non-binary, gender fluid people. That is why you’ll see her use the word “babe” and her own personal definition for the term is t-shirt worthy.

“‘Babes are the people who encounter obstacles, give ‘em the middle finger, and do the thing regardless,” said Van Grol.'”

And if that wasn’t enough, Minnesota state legislator Ilhan Omar shared Van Grol’s post expressing gratitude for the project, and the Malala Fund, championing the cause of girls’ access to education worldwide, inspired by young activist Malala Yousafzai, featured Van Grol’s illustration on its social media site. To date, it has garnered more than 3,000 likes. Julie, you are a #BadassBabe to us!

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For more information:

Julie Van Grol Illustration
#100DaysofBasassBabes
Huffington Post Blog: Julie Van Grol