International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day. A global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. With this years theme being #EmbraceEquity I’m reminded again of the socialised nature of womanhood, and all the things I’ve had to learn, and figure out along the way…

An identity designed to look effortless & pretty through the male gaze but is actually deeply complex & truly indescribable. Though I wouldn’t go back on my own challenges or try to remix my story I do wish that there were more honest nuanced narratives about women. So that the maturing process of little girl to teen into adulthood wouldn’t be layered with soo many BOMBASTIC SIDE EYES.

There are no real instructions let’s be honest. Half the time it’s been through socialised “ gossiping sessions” as THEY the watching eyes described and undermined our communal
knowing & learning. “Is it like that for you too? How did you do it? Omg no way?! How? really!” Etc Looking back honestly I was winging it. Half the time the older women genuinely had no idea what to teach us, because the restrictions and demands on them were worse as the decades prior were peeled back. We were shocked and sometimes angry with them but we had that privilege…

At the end of the day, there is no one way & as you mature all you can do is continue to look inward & back out again to gain mutual understanding in order to keep the cycle alive and create safer spaces for the ones coming after us. Now we know why the women before us did the things they did in the way they did them and so will the younger girls look at us. There is a strategic method of disconnection between the generations in order to continue a cycle of gender based subjugation.

As long as this is recognised during times of misunderstanding and misinformation then the capacity to build stronger more intelligent woman out of our girls and in the little girls alive in us then we doing our job right!

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