Welcome to the second full month of school, Georgia Collegians! It makes you want to shout out TGIO (Thank Goodness it’s October)! With all the upcoming excitement over Halloween, the new Fall lineup of television shows, and (for some of us of age) Oktoberfest, many people forget that October is “Women’s History Month”. Women’s History Month, like African American History Month, is a month dedicated to furthering education about the movers and shakers all throughout history.
Now you may say, well, actually “Women’s History Month” is in March. Not so, while the United States celebrates in the Spring, our neighbors to the north in Canada celebrate in the beautiful autumn month of October. Although we are nowhere near our sisters in Canada, I cannot help but feel compelled to celebrate alongside them—what better month, than October to celebrate being a woman?
What could be more apt than to celebrate womanhood than a month associated with chilly mornings, cozy sweaters, and costumes? What better than a month that oscillates in the public mind between mysterious and beautiful? October has even been slighted historically. It became the tenth month when Julius Caesar decided he and his son Augustus deserved their own months.
So in honor of this symbolic and glorious month, I’ve decided that a “Christmas in July” type deal is in order for “Women’s History Month”.
- Read a book written by a female
I highly recommend The Color Purple by Alice Walker or A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf; both are great conversation starters about women’s issues. For something short, Flannery O’ Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” or anything by Shirley Jackson are perfect pre-Halloween stories. Or if you’re looking for something a little more romance-y, anything Austen would be perfect for you.
- Ditch the overly revealing Halloween costume.
Contrary to what some advertisements may imply, you do not need to bare all in order to look stunning. Exude confidence instead and you will look dazzling. If you’re looking for someone sexy, I’d go for a nice Joan Holloway from Mad Men or Irene Adler from Sherlock, two gorgeous women whose assets go far beyond physical beauty. Or go grab a couple of friends and do an original kooky group costume idea.
If you need any help with ideas, try our Pinterest page.
- Treat yourself.
Turn on Flower Drum Song or Cyndi Lauper and do something overtly girly just for fun, like paint your nails or read Cosmo. Splurge on a dinner reservation for one. Or do a cute craft project. Or take a nice long bubble bath with your favorite Enya or Sarah McLaughlin. Whatever you do, do it for you. Too much of the time women do things for everyone else.
- Stop yourself from saying four little words “I am an anti-feminist”.
I talk to a lot of women that say that some people are annoyingly over the top with the feminism thing. I have talked to zero women whom I believed were actually being over the top with women’s issues. We live in a society that people are frowned upon for voicing their opinion too much, for one month, just don’t let them frown. Be feminist and proud.
- Pay another woman a compliment.
This one may take some time and practice, but it’s completely worth it. We have this strange inexplicable cattiness that can come out when it comes to other women. For the month of October, push all negative thoughts out of your head about other girls. It may be a thing that needs to be done gradually over time, but if you work at it you will feel so much better.
- Watch a movie about a powerful lady
The Iron Lady is one of my favorites; Meryl Streep is inspirational as the incomparable Margaret Thatcher. The Hours is also an excellent choice, and one that can be readily found on Netflix. Who doesn’t love Virginia Woolf, a fifties housewife and—surprise, surprise— Meryl Streep again.
- Surround yourself with positive females
Call your grandmother. Text your mother. Stay behind after class with one of your female professors. Learn something you didn’t already know about your older female counterparts, or your younger female counterparts. Take your little sister to soccer practice, or just message her on Facebook. They may not say right away, but it will mean the world to them.
- Do not be ashamed to un-ironically LOVE something.
Whether it is coffee, or One Direction, or Menudo (the band or the soup), or Mongolian throat singing, you do it girl! We all have those guilty pleasures, whatever yours is, take a month off from the guilt part (as long as it’s healthy) and just be unashamedly you for a while.
And when you hit October 31st, just repeat, because October may be a beautiful month to start, but you should make every month “Women’s month”.