I love the hashtag this year. I love that there is an international day for women, a push toward gender parity.
Still, it feels as though we as a gender are further from parity than we were ten years ago. It concerns me that for every advance we make there is such a backslide. I will never understand why people worry so much about what other people are doing, how other people are dressing (or not dressing) and, even what bathroom people use. Meanwhile, kids are starving and uneducated all over the world, the environment is being crippled, and the disparity in pay and corporate and political representation between the genders remains a shocking injustice.
But, Violet, aren't you afraid people will be annoyed by this post and perceive you as "just another feminist mouthpiece?"
No. No, I'm not. The people who read this and recoil or lash out are not my people. The people I hope read this share the basic belief that gender need not define any person's ability to succeed, to love, to be safe and free, or to earn the same as their colleagues.
What I'm asking is for people to stand up and stand for women today. Embrace the diversity that women bring to all aspects of our world. Consider the place you would wish for your mothers, sisters, aunts, and, most importantly, daughters and nieces who are growing up faster than ever before.
My hope is that this day will fan the flame that has spread like wildfire since November. My hope is that people will look toward tolerance and charity in lieu of hatred and greed. Yeah, yeah, I know. Shiny, happy, hippie girl. Still, the world would be a better place if people could be kinder and more tolerant instead of attempting to force their religious/moral ideals down others' throats.
In the words of a good friend, "you do you, I'll do me, and we will have a grand time."
Join me, join us for International Women's Day 2017.
** Please note that I am pushing this post live a day early as I will be unplugging tomorrow for #DayWithoutAWoman
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