Dare to be different

Arctic explorer, society 'it-girl', wartime secret agent, fearless polar bear hunter... with lipstick on. American heiress Louise Boyd (1887 - 1972) was as brilliant and unique as a snowflake*.

Arctic explorer, society 'it-girl', wartime secret agent, fearless polar bear hunter... with lipstick on. American heiress Louise Boyd (1887 - 1972) was as brilliant and unique as a snowflake*.

Becoming a millionaire at 32 when her parents died, she decided to devote her life to exploring and photographing the unknown frozen Arctic during self-financed expeditions with teams of scientists. A proud Feminine Feminist avant-la-lettre, Louise once said: "I like the pleasant things most women enjoy, even if I do wear breeches and boots on an expedition, even sleep in them at times.... but I powder my nose before going on deck, no matter how rough the sea is." The flamboyant adventurer's list of accomplishments is endless: from becoming the first woman to fly over the North Pole at age 67 to her job as the Arctic expert for the U.S. military during World War II. Then there was that time Louise received a Chevalier Cross of the Order of Saint Olav - only the third woman in history - for her attempt to rescue Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen (traveling over 10,000 miles across the Arctic Ocean to do so). Not surprisingly, a part of Greenland was named after her: 'Louise Boyd Land'. Newspapers around the world called her 'Arctic Diana' - referring to her hobby of hunting polar bears - and 'The Girl Who Tamed the Arctic'. We prefer to think of this phenomenal woman as 'The Girl Who Nailed Independence'. Or simply 'Badass Boyd'.

Another great example of Hildegard's proto-feminist ideas: in defiance of church belief at the time, the medieval nun boldly proclaimed that menstruation does not make a woman unclean, but the shedding of blood in war certainly does render a soldier unclean. In 1150, she also wrote the Western World's first known description of a female orgasm, mentioning * according to scientists, the likelihood of two large snow crystals being identical is zero.

Great explorers dare to be different. They dare to think differently. Sure, Louise Boyd had the luxury of becoming financially independent, but she was in possession of something much more important: an independent soul. Independence is all about the ability to make decisions for yourself, and own the consequences. And yes, it can be learned. Start by getting rid of your need to fit in ('I must be like everyone else'). Then shake off your desire for approval ('I must be liked by everyone else). Is it a lonely path at times? You bet, but at least it's all yours!

“All good things are wild and free.” – writer and political activist Henry David Thoreau