Promoting intersectional feminism and celebrating womanhood. Tuesday 8th March saw the annual celebrations for International Women’s Day take place across the world, and here at HCX we’ve rounded up some of the day’s highlights:
Caitlin Moran’s amazing article for Esquire
The article from brilliant feminist Caitlin Moran, ‘12 Things About Being a Woman That a Woman Won’t Tell You‘ put into fantastic perspective the problems that women face today, but which very rarely get talked about. After a disclaimer promising not to womansplain, she neatly defined what it means to be a feminist: “You like women being equal to men — which is all that feminism means. Not all the penises being burned in a Penis Bonfire. Just women being equal to men”. The article stood out as hilarious, while clearly stating the problems which women face every day – abortion, sexual assault, even waxing. These issues need attention, and not just from female feminists.
Google’s Inspirational Doodle
Never one to let an important day pass without one of it’s iconic Doodles, Google’s IWD offering gave us a video entitled, #OneDayIWill. Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and anthropologist Jane Goodall featured among a host of women from around the world, telling us what they, and other women, plan to achieve in the future in education, sport, love, family, and science.
Demonstrations in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, India, Georgia….
News reports flooded in throughout IWD showing how women from every corner of the globe donned costumes, painted their bodies, and marched, demonstrated and protested together. Femicide, decriminalising abortion, discrimination, violence against women, and political representation were among the issues which thousands of women rallied together to bring attention to and fight for.
IWD organised by Exeter University’s Feminist Society
Exeter’s very own FemSoc organised some incredible events throughout the day, including a Women of Colour Poetry Night, a screening of She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry and a talk on Championing the Female Academic. Throughout the day, a stall outside The Ram invited Exeter students: what does IWD mean to you? Responses including ‘education’, ‘empowering people of all genders’, and ‘being a good ally’.
Worldwide there were thousands of brilliant events celebrating IWD, recognising the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women. What will you be inspired to do?
References:
http://www.esquire.co.uk/culture/advice/a9641/things-men-dont-know-about-women-caitlin-moran/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztMIb6nEeyg&feature=youtu.be
Picture 2:Screenshot from googledoodles and YouTube