Tomorrow,
March 8th, is International Women’s Day, a holiday for celebrating the
women in your life and the many political and social achievements of
women. As this holiday is so important to me, I wanted to share some
ways to celebrate.
1. Enjoy women in all forms of media. Watch “Persepolis” or “Iron Jawed Angels.” (Both available on iTunes) Read Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich or, one of my personal favorites, We Killed: The Rise of Women in American History, and oral history collected by Yael Kohen. Listen to Carly Simon, Carole King, and Joni Mitchell.
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| The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago |
2. Educate yourself on women’s history. There are many museums devoted to women’s history like the Women’s Museum of California and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. If you can not make the trip to one of these places, you can always visit the International Museum for Women online and enjoy the knowledge their website has to offer.
3. Host a dinner for your friends. Cooking
a meal is a great way to make yourself feel appreciated, while doing
the same for others. Plus nothing goes better with friendship than
food.
4. Let the women in your life know they are appreciated. Call
your mom. Send your best friend flowers. Write a thank you note to
the professor who mentored you through college. These are ways to
acknowledge others which are simple, but still incredibly effective.
5. Pamper yourself. If
you are a follower of my writing you know I am all about the Treat Yo
Self and I can’t think of a better day to show you some love! Whether
it be taking a warm bubble bath, going for a sunny walk, or curling up
with a mug of tea to watch your favorite series of Netflix for the
millionth time, care for yourself by doing what you want.
6. Wear a purple ribbon. Purple
is often a color used to represent women’s rights or empowerment. Wear
a ribbon to publicly show your support. If others ask you about it
this is a great opportunity to share this cause with them.
7. Donate. There
are many organizations working to educate the population on women’s
health and social issues. Giving your time or money to these groups can
be a huge help to them as well as make you feel accomplished.
8. Write a letter to a company that uses sexism in their advertisements. You
were given a beautiful empowered voice, use it! You never know when it
could be your words that really make an effect on these companies whose
image can be so powerful in media today.
9. Write a letter to a company who shows a commitment to gender equality. As
important it is to voice an opinion when you believe something is
wrong, it is just as necessary to show an appreciation of those who you
believe are doing the right thing. Often times if people are
acknowledged for something they did in the past, they’ll continue to act
that way in the future.
10. Teach a younger girl in your life how it feels to be empowered. Younger
generations are so important for our future. Take the time to teach
someone younger than you about women’s history and what we can still do
to make an impact.
Originally written for Under Athena's Wing.
