Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate the day and everything it stands for we spoke to three bloggers and a blogging duo about why the day is so important to them, found out their favourite inspirational quotes (some so good they chose them twice) and more.
As much as it’s a day of celebrating those females around us and our achievements, it’s also a day of reflection, looking back and being grateful for the sacrifices and doors that were knocked down by our predecessors.
Both of our mothers have been hugely inspirational for us as they both have the same ‘Go get ‘em!’ attitude that’s been instilled in us from early ages!
The Guilty Feminist by Deborah Frances White – a comedic podcast with women discussing 21st Century topics. Also, the book: The Silence of The Girls by Pat Barker which tells Homer’s story The Iliad through the female eyes of Briseis, Achilles’ concubine.
“A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
It is more than just a day for women, it is a day of unity and protest (in the positive sense) where we take a stand against, racism, sexism and discrimination across the board. It is important to reflect on and celebrate your womanhood, it makes you appreciate the struggle of those who fought for your rights over 100 years ago and as a woman of colour, I feel like I appreciate this on a whole different level.
The women in my family. We are a bunch of strong-minded women who take no nonsense! I would say that my mum inspires me the most, she is a tough cookie, she is strong and just so smart. International Women’s Day is actually on her birthday so it would be terrible if I chose anyone else!
How I Made It Happen, by Elizabeth Ogabi is a great podcast. She interviews women who share how they got to where they are in their respective areas of expertise/businesses. I may be a little biased in saying this, but my favourite episode is the one where she speaks with my podcast co-host Charlotte Williams about how she developed her business. A book I love is the Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes, any woman that can be at the top of their game and still manage to challenge themselves is so inspiring to me!
I wouldn’t call this my favourite but it’s definitely the one that makes me laugh the most, “A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt.
International Women’s Day is incredibly important to me. I have a daughter and have run a Girl Guide unit of over 40 young women since my 18th birthday, 12 years ago. This day is a chance to celebrate all the wonderful women and girls we’re surrounded by and the female role models in our lives.
It’s also a day where we can reflect and think about our own behaviour, how we can support other women – either in our workplace or community or in countries around the world which are even further from gender equality than we are.
As a UK primary school teacher, I couldn’t imagine not having any girls in my class. However, in some countries, girls are denied an education because of their gender.
I think this day is also important for men everywhere because they can celebrate this day by taking ground-breaking steps towards gender equality.
Malala Yousafzai… I took my Guides to hear Malala give a speech in Liverpool a couple of years ago, she was amazing! Malala is an activist, advocate for girls’ education, champion of human rights and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Malala’s speech was inspirational and gave me and my Guides such hope.
It’s unbelievable that in 2012 when she was only 15, a Taliban gunman shot Malala as she travelled home from school because she had been advocating for girls’ right to education in her home country of Pakistan.
One year later, on her 16th birthday, Malala gave a speech at the UN that cemented her position as one of the most inspiring, influential and important young people alive today.
In the 5 years since that speech, Malala has turned a personal passion into a powerful international movement working to transform the future – not only for girls and women but for the world!
I thought I would recommend a female empowerment children’s book which should be read to boys too! It’s important for boys to know from an early age that women can do anything men can do too.
I hate the way people use ‘like a girl’ as a derogatory term e.g. ‘you run like a girl’ or ‘you’re good for a girl’. This book is perfect for challenging that!
She’s Not Good for a Girl, She’s Just Good by Suzanne Hemming
“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”
I think it’s important to have a day that allows us to celebrate our achievements as women.
Thanks to my job, I meet so many like-minded creative women that never cease to inspire me. It is amazing to see how we managed to create a job for ourselves that enables us to do what we like. I don’t have a specific example of inspiration because I like to get inspired by various people in different ways.
I’m pretty bad with podcasts and, I admit, I find it hard to get the time to read an entire book. I recently watched a documentary on Queen Victoria who is a figure that inspires me enormously.
It is without doubt this one, “I want every girl to know her voice can change the world.” – Malala Yousafzai.
