GIRLS ARE STRONG

Happy International Women's Day!

2017 saw a lot of action for the feminist movement, there were good moments, and not so good moments, but there is still more to be done in a world where some women can only just be happy about being able to drive a car in their own country.

Back on the 21st January 2018 I went to the Time’s Up rally at Whitehall, I stood opposite Downing Street for hours, proudly holding up my sign in the freezing snow whilst being in awe of so many different women, talking about issues from the burkini to Donald Trump. It was a day of unity, diversity, and a celebration of intersectionality, and I left feeling incredibly inspired.

2017 saw the rise of the Time’s Up movement, women and men were in solidarity across the globe over the issues that arose surrounding sexual harassment and sexism. Being a rich, white male was no longer a lifesaver, voices were heard and consequences dished out. Yet when Emma Watson sported a ‘Times Up’ tattoo to the Oscars, there were a lot of people focusing on her missing apostrophe, rather than its meaning *smh*. In the last year, Bodyform used red liquid, instead of blue, for their period product campaigns. Missguided debuted a series of extremely diverse mannequins that don’t necessarily fit the western idea of perfect beauty, with stretch marks and vitiligo being shown as beautiful. Wonder Woman and The Handmaid’s Tale took over our screens, and Doctor Who became a figure little adventurous girls can also aspire to be.

But…

There’s still a gender pay gap, ‘Legsit’ happened (when Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon had their legs compared on the front page, rather than anything about their political views!), there is period poverty AND the world still needs to think in a more intersectional way. There are so many problems that queer women, women of colour, and lower class women face, and these need to be heard and addressed! And don’t forget about the HeForShe campaign. Feminism isn’t all about women, it’s about men too! And stopping the ideas of things that are traditionally ‘feminine’ being seen as weak. 2017 saw British Vogue welcome its first black male editor, and that’s something we all need to celebrate!

I want to end this on a positive note, so here are some of my favourite feminism quotes :)

“No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor.”

☆ Betty Friedan

“Feminism is not a dirty word. It does not mean you hate men, it does not mean you hate girls that have nice legs and a tan, and it does not mean you are a ‘bitch’ or ‘dyke’; it means you believe in equality.”

☆ Kate Nash

“We have to free half of the human race, the women, so that they can help to free the other half.”

☆ Emmeline Pankhurst

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass."

☆ Maya Angelou

"The more I have spoken about feminism, the more I have realized that fighting for women's rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop."

☆ Emma Watson

Isabel x