International Women's Day

Today is, of course, International Women's Day (IWD), so I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to talk about it on my blog! I love IWD- it's an opportunity to celebrate women, which is something we should obviously do every day but at the same time is something that so often gets forgotten about. Too often we watch women drag other women down, shame them for their actions and insult them. It's upsetting, but hey, it happens. Its nice that for at least one day a year, most women seem to come together to celebrate the powerful, wonderful and brilliant humans that we are, and are able to encourage each other to keep up this attitude all year around. 

Being a women is so complex in today's society and whilst over the last hundred years, women's position in society has definitely improved, there is still somehow so much further to go. There is still a wage gap between the genders, there is still severe issues around sexual assault and rape, there is still massive discrimination of females in the work place- and in every day life. Women are still constantly judged for what they do in a way that the vast majority of men are not. It makes living oh so hard sometimes. It's even more difficult for people of different ethnic minorities, females in the LGBTQ society- we have to remember that whilst being a woman is hard, it is vastly better for straight, white females than it is for any other female. 

Yet we can still celebrate ourselves- of course we can! Take a look at all of the things that we do, everything that we accomplish. Every single day women are making amazing things happen, even with all of the problems in every day life that they must face just for having a vagina, which means we are twice as amazing, right? We have incredible women such as Laverne Cox and Malala, both on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of what they do- but at their core, they care about women, particular women in a minority (not straight and white) and I have so much respect for them and their actions (particularly Malala, a hero of mine!). 

Then there's women making smaller changes. If I look to the blogosphere, which I am heavily involved in, I see the likes of Sophie and Tara, battling it out with online 'trolls' on a daily basis to stand up for the equality of the sexes, women's rights and so on. There's girls like Holly, who are open about sex and are incredibly sex positive, encouraging other women to feel the same because it is okay to enjoy sex! Georgina is another example of a woman who sets the bar high when it comes to being incredibly body positive and spreading this in the community- and there are others who are just generally supportive of women they come across online, such as Justine, Danielle, Hollie, Emma, Abbie, Vix, Lydia and so many more. 

There are great women all around you. They could be relatives, friends, someone you work with, a stranger you pass in the street. Acknowledge them all. Support the women in your life, no matter how little or how much support they need. Celebrate the women in your life, the women across the world. And if you do nothing else in acknowledgement of IWD today, then please take a few seconds of your time just to spare a thought for all of the great women before us who have paved the way to a somewhat easier life for us ladies today. 

On International Women's Day we need to celebrate the women of the past, the women of the present and the women of the future. I am so grateful that I have the position in society today that I do, but it's only thanks to the hard work and tireless efforts of the women who have lived before me. I hope my hard work each day creates a better future for the women who come after me- whether they are my younger sisters, my future daughters or women or a wider scale. 

Today I'm grateful. So, so grateful for the endless opportunities I am presented with, that may not have been available to me 20, 50 or 100 years ago. Happy International Women's Day!

Love from,

Florence Grace 

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