Women Of The Week: Indian Women Wrestlers, Saudi Astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi, Taiwanese Laundry Grandma Sho-er

From fighting for justice to reaching for the stars, here are the incredible women who are leaving a lasting impact on the world this week.

1. Indian Women Wrestlers

Top women wrestlers in India spoke up about being sexually harassed by India’s Wrestling Federation president, who is also a ruling BJP party politician, and have been camping out on the streets of New Delhi since late April to demand justice.

The women wrestlers, including Olympic medalist Sakshi Malik and Asian Games Champion Vinesh Phogat, say Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh sexually harassed seven women wrestlers over more than ten years.

Singh, who is also a member of parliament for the ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), has denied the allegations.

In late April, the women started protesting, forgoing their rigorous training regimes with just a few months to go until the World Championships and the Asian Games.

Alongside their supporters, the wrestlers have been sleeping on mattresses and under mosquito nets, withstanding extreme weather conditions and violence from police.

The wrestlers say they will not move until Singh is arrested.

2. Saudi Astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi

34-year-old biomedical scientist Rayyanah Barnawi became the first Arab woman astronaut to go to space on May 21.

She is on a 10-day mission as part of Axiom Space’s second private voyage to the ISS and is joined by three other crew members.

During the mission, the crew will conduct more than 20 science and technological experiments, including studying the repercussions of space on human health and rain-seeding technology, according to the BBC.

Barnawi, who has dedicated almost a decade to stem-cell research, will focus on studying stem cells and breast cancer during the mission.

Barnawi has called the opportunity an incredible honor.

“Being the first Saudi woman astronaut, representing the region, it’s a great pleasure and honour that I’m very happy to carry,” she said in a press conference before the takeoff.

3. Taiwanese Laundry Grandma Sho-er

87-year-old Sho-er became an Instagram icon with her husband for dressing up in outfits assembled from the clothing customers forgot to pick up from their laundry shop.

She died on the morning of Tuesday May 23, according to a post shared on the couple’s Instagram @wantshowasyoung, which is run by their 34-year-old grandson, Reef Chang.

86-year-old Wan-ji and 87-year-old Sho-er, shot to fame in 2020 when their Instagram went viral.

The couple were married for 64 years and were operating the Wan-Sho Laundry Shop for almost 70 years, Chang told Almost in July 2020.

@wantshowasyoung now has more than 626,000 followers, and his grandparents often made suggestions on the outfit colors and combinations, even saying things like “This is how I used to wear it,” he said.

Chang said none of them expected the Instagram account to take off internationally.

“For my grandparents, they would have never thought in their entire lives that so many people would fall in love with them,” he said.

“A special thank to everyone who has accompanied us on this amazing journey over the years,” he wrote in the latest post. ”Because of you, my family and grandmother have left many unforgettable memories. I believe that people who have had the opportunity to get along with grandma will always remember her cheerful smile.”