It’s International Women’s Day. This is a day
that celebrates all the diversity, power, and beauty that women around the
world embody. Except I can’t help but think about the fact that on every other
day, we are sent a barrage a messages that actually, we aren’t enough. Though
these messages are slowly changing we are still, even in 2019, given the
message that we aren’t enough in our relationships, mothering, careers, or our
bodies. What was the last marketing campaign you saw utilizing a female? Mine
was a perfume ad insinuating that this magic potion would make her so desirable
to her male partner he wouldn’t be able to resist her because of this
particular scent. We are told consistently through interpersonal relationships
and glances on the train that our sources of value are our body shape, lack of
wrinkles, ability to do and have the elusive “all.”
But on this day, International Women’s Day,
we are actually celebrating our true value: our value in the ability as women
to come together and raise our voices on a humanitarian issue to create change;
our ability to support a friend or loved one; our ability to play the fucking
cello or whatever the hell it is, because it is ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT than our
body weight and shape. Always.
But here’s the thing, we have been
socialized to hate, fix, and focus on this one thing. Because what better way
to take someone’s power than to trick them into believing that they have none.
And because of this, I write these words. I
write them much more for myself than for anyone else. I write them for my
incredible, fantastic, amazing daughter that has a potentially very tough road
ahead having been born into a time where Donald Trump was elected the President
of The United States. I write these words for the middle aged woman who still
stands in front of the mirror cursing her dear, ageing body and face, wasting
her most precious life on a value that just doesn’t fucking matter. I write
them for the woman on her deathbed wishing she had spent more time being present
with her children than counting her calories. I write them for the gorgeous,
soulful teenage girl who cuts her wrists and starves herself because of all the
hate, fear, and anger that has nowhere else to go. And, I write these words for
you. Whoever you are. If you take anything away from this article, please just
think for a moment about how many of your limited moments you give away to this
lie. Think for a moment about how much you would accomplish and enjoy your life
with all of those lost moments.
What would you do with all of that time? Our
most precious commodity.
If you’re looking for more inspiration and
self-empowerment and overcoming your own challenging belief systems, I really
love following Jameela Jamil (www.instagram.com/jameelajamilofficial)who is a
fierce activist for women and body positivity.
More resources I love:
I wish you well. And please feel free to
reach out to me if you have any questions or just need a little support. We all
do.
Love x
Megan
