Why Do Basics Keep Disrespecting Amal Clooney? Ten Reasons She's #GOALS

You’ve heard of Beyoncé and you’ve heard of Taylor Swift.

Before last year, not many had heard of Amal Alamuddin.

Today, she goes by her married name – Clooney – and she’s more frequently labelled as the “wife” of her actor-director husband, George.

However, she’s definitely more than just a pretty face. Not that her list of achievements has clarified that for some news organisations. Just a few weeks ago, feminists everywhere were in uproar when the Associated Press referred to Clooney as merely an “Actor’s wife”.

So, here’s 10 reasons why Amal Clooney is #Goals and should be added to our list of female role models:

1. She’s a distinguished international lawyer.

A Bachelor of Law from Oxford wasn’t enough for ambitious Amal. She went on to pursue a Masters of Law from the New York University School of Law. Her previous clientele includes WikiLeaks founders Julian Assange and former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

2. She’s a government adviser.

In addition to taking part in some of the biggest human rights cases of our time, Clooney uses her razor-sharp legal prowess to advise governments. She’s an adviser to Kofi Annan, the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League on Syria, and she is the legal adviser to the head of the U.N. commission investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri and other terrorist attacks in Lebanon. She’s pretty much as #boss as it gets.

3. She’s a respected scholar and lecturer.

Clooney co-edited the book The Special Tribunal for Lebanon: Law and Practice and has co-authored an article in the prestigious Journal of International Criminal Justice. Students in several universities including Columbia, SOAS and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill have been graced with her presence as a guest lecturer, too.

4. Her mother is also #GOALS.

Amal’s mother, Baria, is a renowned journalist and foreign editor of the Arab newspaper, Al-Hayat. She has stood shoulder to shoulder and interviewed several world leaders including Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Bill Clinton, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Fidel Castro.

5. She’s multilingual.

Parlez-vous français? No? Well, Amal does. She can take down courtrooms and wow audiences in English, French and Arabic.

6. She was a social media queen.

In 140 characters, Clooney could transfix the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Julia Gillard with her tweets. However, she has since deleted her Twitter account. Yet, Ashton Kutcher still has his?

7. Her outfits are always on point.

Look. At. Her.

8. She did her thing and wouldn’t let people stop her.

Women are continuously told to shack up and have some babies as soon as possible. Amal waited until she was 36, had a successful career and felt ready on her own before getting married. Society and the “ticking clock” were not going to rush her.

9. Her squad is on fleek.

Amal hangs out daily with world leaders and prominent human rights lawyers, but she’s also known to have quite a few celebs as pals such as legendary business woman and model, Cindy Crawford.

10. She’s passionate and determined.

Her work and representation can sometimes be controversial. Regardless of the risk, Amal will continue to slay and fight injustice. Most recently, one of her co-counsel was stabbed in the head in The Maldives. Yet she refuses to yield.

To reiterate: #GOALS

Cassie Ngurah is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. Learn more about our contributors program.