In case you've been off the internet (or under a rock), today is International Women's Day. I'm a big fan of International Women's Day. I think it's important. It's important the way Black History Month and Pride are important. It gives us a chance to look back and celebrate how far we've come, whilst understanding how far we still have to go. And it provides perfect opportunity to inspire & celebrate the women around us. Which frankly, we don't do enough.
If you're still not sold that today is important, here's a few facts for you.
* 50% of all sexual assault world wide happens to girls under the age of 15
So yes, to me, IWD is a big deal. And it should be. It's been inspiring seeing how the world reacted today. From brands to celebrities to charities. I was expecting lots more angry 'meninisits'* and trolls, screaming across the web 'Oh how unfair and unjust! A day JUST FOR WOMEN. How dare they? What do they think, that they're vaginas make them special? Please. Somebody think of the men!' But, from what I could see, there were less hate than last year. Or perhaps it just felt that way, because maybe, just maybe, the wider world is starting to see that whilst equality has come far, were still not quite there.
You needn't look any further than the comments on Instagram and Twitter to see the gap in equality. Love her, loathe her or nothing-at-all her, Kim Kardashian's selfies (with, or more recently, without) clothes never fail to cause a stir. Following yesterday's post and a whole host of people protesting how she simply MUST put her clothes back on, Kim responded how only Kim could. She posted another snap of her undeniably rocking body sans any clothing with the caption '#liberated'. Good for you, Kimmy K. Zac Efron and The Rock are currently filming the new Baywatch movie, and are (quite rightly) proudly posting pics of their buffer-than-usual physiques. I'm yet to see a single person tell them to pop their clothes back on, so why was everyone so quick to shout at Kim? Is it because she's a mother? David Beckham is father and yet the world swiftly swoons whenever he removes his clothes, so please don't play the parental card with me.
Up until last year, women's breasts were treated as a commodity in the countries biggest selling family newspaper. I know to some, I may come across hypocritical, supporting a campaign to get the naked female body out of the paper but supporting Mrs Kardashian-West as she takes over the world naked selfie at a time. What a human being chooses to do with their body is their own provocative. I stand by the fact that what I disliked about Page 3 was the waste which the female form was used. Day in and day out The Sun used the female body to help it sell, whilst doing very little to represent women fairly across the board. When Jessica Ennis won gold at the London only pics, she didn't get as much page space as that day's Page 3 girl. It spoke volumes about what women are worth in our press. When Kim Kardashian gets her kit off, it's different. I see a women who is control of her image and the image of the women around her. She chooses when and how. She reclaims herself from the Kim Kardashian who got famous because someone decided to leak her sextape without her consent (which, FYI, counts as sexual harassment and possibly as a hate crime). It's subtle, but it's different.
The recent press that singer Kesha and sports newscaster Erin Andrews have been receiving is another nod to how much more we have to gain. Kesha is locked into recording contract with the guy who abused her, thanks to a judge ruling in favour of Sony. Meanwhile, Erin has had to fight tooth and nail for her compensation payout of $55 million following footage secretly recorded of her naked being leaked. In Erin's case, it was even suggested in court that the footage 'didn't exactly damage her career' and in Kesha's... We can't even talk about the mountain of things that are wrong with the ruling of Kesha's case. My heart fucking breaks.
There are still countries where being born a girl is seen as a dishonour and where marriage is more important than education. We still have (predominantly male) governments making decisions for female bodies. Contraception can be harder to get hold of than cocaine** and abortions are still illegal in certain countries. In some places, a woman will still be denied her right to an abortion even if the pregnancy was caused by rape. There are no laws like that for the male body.
I live in 21st century Britain, I cannot imagine having to pay for my pill, although my tampons are taxed for being a 'luxury' and I'm relatively sure only a man would decide that tampons are luxurious. Nor can I imagine being told I have to give birth to a child conceived out of what undoubtedly, would be the worst and most harrowing experience of my life. My injustices are having my arse grabbed by a drunk bloke in a nightclub or being cat called in the street. It's the message my parents engrained into me but not into my brother, that says walking alone at night is absolutely never ok. I am thankful everyday that I was allowed the same education to my male peers. I fight for feminism (or 'equality' as some would call it) because females else where are still not on the same playing field. But it doesn't mean that we have equality here in UK. The inequalities are different and vary on the scale of severity, but they are inequalities all the same.
International women's day does not mean that for the other 364/5 (since it is a leap year) days of the year, these issues go away. Nor does it mean that are issues only worth addressing annually. Instead, IWD is here to highlight, educate and empower. It's here to connect us.
For one day out of the year, women aren't pitted against each other. We're stronger when we work together, ladies.
And before anybody asks, International Men's Day is on November 19th.
-xo
*I question if we can really count meninism as a thing.
**Probably
If you're still not sold that today is important, here's a few facts for you.
* 50% of all sexual assault world wide happens to girls under the age of 15
- 66 million girls are out of school globally.
- Women make up two thirds of the illiterate adult population.
- In 2013 the statistic stood that if all women were allowed access to contraception, 100,000 deaths due to child birth could be prevent each year. As it is, 800 women die daily due to child birth.
- Women are also more likely to be slut shamed and victim blamed than our male counterparts.
So yes, to me, IWD is a big deal. And it should be. It's been inspiring seeing how the world reacted today. From brands to celebrities to charities. I was expecting lots more angry 'meninisits'* and trolls, screaming across the web 'Oh how unfair and unjust! A day JUST FOR WOMEN. How dare they? What do they think, that they're vaginas make them special? Please. Somebody think of the men!' But, from what I could see, there were less hate than last year. Or perhaps it just felt that way, because maybe, just maybe, the wider world is starting to see that whilst equality has come far, were still not quite there.
You needn't look any further than the comments on Instagram and Twitter to see the gap in equality. Love her, loathe her or nothing-at-all her, Kim Kardashian's selfies (with, or more recently, without) clothes never fail to cause a stir. Following yesterday's post and a whole host of people protesting how she simply MUST put her clothes back on, Kim responded how only Kim could. She posted another snap of her undeniably rocking body sans any clothing with the caption '#liberated'. Good for you, Kimmy K. Zac Efron and The Rock are currently filming the new Baywatch movie, and are (quite rightly) proudly posting pics of their buffer-than-usual physiques. I'm yet to see a single person tell them to pop their clothes back on, so why was everyone so quick to shout at Kim? Is it because she's a mother? David Beckham is father and yet the world swiftly swoons whenever he removes his clothes, so please don't play the parental card with me.
Up until last year, women's breasts were treated as a commodity in the countries biggest selling family newspaper. I know to some, I may come across hypocritical, supporting a campaign to get the naked female body out of the paper but supporting Mrs Kardashian-West as she takes over the world naked selfie at a time. What a human being chooses to do with their body is their own provocative. I stand by the fact that what I disliked about Page 3 was the waste which the female form was used. Day in and day out The Sun used the female body to help it sell, whilst doing very little to represent women fairly across the board. When Jessica Ennis won gold at the London only pics, she didn't get as much page space as that day's Page 3 girl. It spoke volumes about what women are worth in our press. When Kim Kardashian gets her kit off, it's different. I see a women who is control of her image and the image of the women around her. She chooses when and how. She reclaims herself from the Kim Kardashian who got famous because someone decided to leak her sextape without her consent (which, FYI, counts as sexual harassment and possibly as a hate crime). It's subtle, but it's different.
The recent press that singer Kesha and sports newscaster Erin Andrews have been receiving is another nod to how much more we have to gain. Kesha is locked into recording contract with the guy who abused her, thanks to a judge ruling in favour of Sony. Meanwhile, Erin has had to fight tooth and nail for her compensation payout of $55 million following footage secretly recorded of her naked being leaked. In Erin's case, it was even suggested in court that the footage 'didn't exactly damage her career' and in Kesha's... We can't even talk about the mountain of things that are wrong with the ruling of Kesha's case. My heart fucking breaks.
There are still countries where being born a girl is seen as a dishonour and where marriage is more important than education. We still have (predominantly male) governments making decisions for female bodies. Contraception can be harder to get hold of than cocaine** and abortions are still illegal in certain countries. In some places, a woman will still be denied her right to an abortion even if the pregnancy was caused by rape. There are no laws like that for the male body.
I live in 21st century Britain, I cannot imagine having to pay for my pill, although my tampons are taxed for being a 'luxury' and I'm relatively sure only a man would decide that tampons are luxurious. Nor can I imagine being told I have to give birth to a child conceived out of what undoubtedly, would be the worst and most harrowing experience of my life. My injustices are having my arse grabbed by a drunk bloke in a nightclub or being cat called in the street. It's the message my parents engrained into me but not into my brother, that says walking alone at night is absolutely never ok. I am thankful everyday that I was allowed the same education to my male peers. I fight for feminism (or 'equality' as some would call it) because females else where are still not on the same playing field. But it doesn't mean that we have equality here in UK. The inequalities are different and vary on the scale of severity, but they are inequalities all the same.
International women's day does not mean that for the other 364/5 (since it is a leap year) days of the year, these issues go away. Nor does it mean that are issues only worth addressing annually. Instead, IWD is here to highlight, educate and empower. It's here to connect us.
For one day out of the year, women aren't pitted against each other. We're stronger when we work together, ladies.
And before anybody asks, International Men's Day is on November 19th.
-xo
*I question if we can really count meninism as a thing.
**Probably
