
Hi,
Happy International Women’s day and welcome to the first blog post on Global Reach Girls.
Surprisingly, it’s been a bit difficult to write about IWD and what it means to be a woman; I think part of that is why the theme of ‘The Woman in the Mirror’ works so well. When you look in the mirror, who is the woman that you see? Is she the woman that you wanted to be as a girl and are you challenging traditional ideas of who a woman should be? Or are you, like most of us, simply trying your best to make it through this crazy world?
As girls and women, we often define ourselves by who we are to other people. We’re someone’s child, mother, sister, wife or friend. We define ourselves by our jobs and our relationships, our class and our environment. All of this is compounded by the element of race for Black women and other women of colour.
The theme of International Women’s day this year is choose to challenge, which can speak to so many areas of our lives. But the first thing we should challenge, is the way we see and define ourselves. Outside of being something to someone else, let us challenge who we really are, who we want to be and who we can be. Let us challenge our status in the spaces we occupy; let’s challenge our own mindset and preconceived ideas and notions about being a woman. In the spaces that we occupy, let’s challenge the status quo and our positions (as much as we can), let’s challenge ourselves to be there for other women. Challenge yourself to embrace the things that serve you and bring you joy.
And while we do this, it’s also important to understand and embrace that womanhood looks different to everybody and it’s fine to embrace all of it. It is not a perfect journey, and ultimately, who we are as human beings and certainly, who we are as women is subject to change as we pass through each stage of our lives. There is something to be learned from each stage, not only for us, but for the girls and women that we know. That’s the most important challenge we can give ourselves, creating a safe community for other girls and women, so that when we look in the mirror, we can be proud of the girl or woman we see in front of us.
Such a good read! Happy International Women’s Day GRG Queens! Yes I #choosetochallenge myself to embrace the things that serves me and brings me joy.