I am a feminist. I am a feminist 365 days of the year, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day.
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That being said though, there are certain times when I become more vocal about my feminism, and today (International Women’s Day) is one of those times. Today marks a day when woman around the world come together to express our strength, diversity, and our continuing fight for equality. As I scrolled through my social media today, I was inspired and awed by the volume of posts that contained messages of support for this day. These posts celebrated strong women, they highlighted where progress is still needed, but most importantly, they united us under the banner of feminism. Many posts, including my own, come from a state of radio silence on this issue. I, and many others I know, do not often vocalize our feelings towards feminism on social media. This year I have challenged myself to not only acknowledge International Women’s Day, but to commemorate it by setting a series of intentions and goals for the upcoming year, which will centre around promoting equality, honouring feminist progress, and challenging the status quo and oppressive structures. I would like to extend this challenge to you all, so that we can make a tangible impact on the ongoing fight for equality.
My first goal: simply to do more reading. Feminism is a diverse and rich discipline and I am certainly not an expert. I want to read a variety of material to learn about the way in which health care provisions influence gender inequality, or to learn more about how international security is gendered. There are countless sources that trace the gendered nature of certain professions (i.e. nursing and child care), and books that cover feminism in every discipline. Just reading alone can open up so many doors and inspire me to find and focus on an area of feminism that really resonates with me. I believe we can all find an aspect of feminism to which we can apply our expertise and passion to create a difference, if we truly understand all the nuances and complexities of the issue.
Second: I want to have an impact in my local community. There are countless organizations in every city, which work to improve gender inequality and to promote feminism. More specifically however, I would like to use my passion for yoga to empower young girls to be more body confident, healthy, and mindful. Through research and engagement with local youths I discovered that many teen girls (14-17) become disenfranchised from all sports for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include being self-conscious about their bodies, finding that sport is often gendered in masculine terms, or simply feeling like they do not retain control over their own bodies (specifically during puberty). Physical activity and sport can do a lot to improve a girl’s confidence. Yoga, in particular, allows girls to take control of their body (for example it has also been used with great success to help sexual abuse survivors to reclaim their bodies) and promotes self-love and a healthy body image. By teaching yoga workshops in schools around Birmingham I believe I can make a real impact on the way in which girls view body image and self-confidence, while also providing teens with a healthy way to cope with stress. I also hope that as a teacher I can present myself as an approachable mentor to students. As a university student with professional career goals, I believe it is essential for young women like me to encourage teens to pursue their own goals.
Third: I want to use my voice and the platforms available to me (Facebook, Instagram, this blog, and my REAL voice) to continue to promote equality for all. When I reflect on how often I vocalize my feminism, I have noticed that I am most vocal when I am outraged. I rarely celebrate the strides that woman around the world continuously make in all sectors. This is not because progress isn't being made, but rather because it is often not reported on, or I am simply unaware and not looking for it. But the truth is, good news is inspiring. Hearing about and sharing positive stories of feminism can inspire and influence people to continue their own journeys and is therefore vital for future equality. This isn't to say that I will not, nor anyone should not, be active in vocalizing concerns against oppression or highlighting instances of injustice. This is equally as important. We must continue to talk about, discuss and openly try to address many of the issues woman around the world face. If we don't talk about it, nothing will ever change. So I hope to not just ignore the issues I am not well versed in, but to learn more about them by having open and honest discussions.
I hope that some of these desires and goals have inspired you to create your own goals for International Women’s Day. I truly believe that these intentions are a way to celebrate feminism while also outlining the way in which each and everyone one of us can be active in making a change. Feminism cannot be a thing of convenience, we must all commit to change in order to see it.
[This post is dedicated to all the women who constantly inspire and motivate me. Thank You J, P, V, K, A, mum, and many more for everything you all do. From helping me edit this blogpost to always pushing me to be outspoken, fierce, brave, and for always believing in me.]
Xx,
F.
