If you are a girl up-to-date with pop culture, chances are you have heard of the ubiquitous book, Milk and Honey. What you may not know about (however, I hope you have at least heard the name) is the feminist and badass woman behind the pictures and words, Rupi Kaur. Kaur released Milk and Honey in November of 2014 and it soon ascended to be the #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, which is pretty cool, due to her only being 22 at the time.
Kaur rattled Instagram in early 2015 when she posted this photo on the social media platform.
The photo showed Kaur on her side as blood, from her period, leaked through her sweatpants. Instagram took down the photo saying “it (went) against the community guidelines.” Kaur was furious. She took to other media platforms to express her anger saying, “Their patriarchy is leaking. Their misogyny is leaking. We will not be censored.”
Her words cast attention on her novel, riveting Milk and Honey to be one of the most sought after reads.
Today, Rupi Kaur continues her brilliance and has since released her second book, The Sun and Her Flowers. The world connected with her words and articles labeled her as a “free-bleeding cause célèbre, an icon for the sect of internet feminism that held body-positivity and emotional empowerment as central tenets.” Kaur stands for, with, and in support of women everywhere.
Her contributions to modern femininity represent everything that the International Day of the Girl was created for. In 2011, the United Nations declared that they would set aside a day of the year, October 11, to “highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.”
UNICEF even gave a nod to Queen Bey’s song, “Freedom,” by posting this video in support of the cause.
With powerful female forces spearheading movements, we can hope for a brighter and more positive future for the women of our generation. Check out a few of Rupi Kaur’s beautiful words that will fill your soul with empowerment, vulnerability, and make you proud to be a woman.
Lesson to women
“what’s the greatest lesson a woman should learn? that since day one. she’s already had everything she needs within herself. it’s the world that convinced her she did not.”
-Rupi Kaur
Moving forward
“we all move forward when we recognize how resilient and striking the women around us are”
-Rupi Kaur
Light a fire
“I do not want to have you to fill empty parts of me, I want to be full on my own. I want to be so complete I could light a whole city and then I want to have you, cause the two of us combined could set it on fire.”
— Rupi Kaur
You are not a pit stop
“You have been taught your legs are a pit stop for men that need a place to rest, a vacant body empty enough for guests but no one ever comes and is willing to stay.”
— Rupi Kaur
Women like you
“the kindest words my father said to me women like you drown oceans”
-Rupi Kaur
More than beauty
“i want to apologize to all the women i have called beautiful before i’ve called them intelligent or brave i am sorry i made it sound as though something as simple as what you’re born with is all you have to be proud of when you have broken mountains with your wit from now on i will say things like you are resilient, or you are extraordinary not because i don’t think you’re beautiful but because i need you to know you are more than that”
-Rupi Kaur
I hope her wonderfully crafted prose made you as warm as it did I. Kaur and the International Day of the Girl are just two examples of people and organizations moving in the right direction. However, it’s up to each and every one of us to create an impact—it can be as little as one small step or as big as leading global movements—either way, it is time to make your mark. As Kaur says, “the road to changing the world is never-ending.” Check out Rupi Kaur’s book, Milk and Honey, here and keep kickin’ ass like the powerful woman you are!