You may have noticed a plethora of woman across your feed, office, or local sandwich shop dressed in red yesterday. Maybe you put two and two together and thought it was for International Women’s Day, but the real reason lies with another movement: A Day without a Woman. Building on the momentum of January’s marches, A Day without a Woman asked woman worldwide to on strike or wear red to spotlight the women who felt alienated in the fight towards equality, and I of course, was one of them.
Focusing on the workplace, women all over the world took the day off or sported some courageous red to protest the economic inequality, prejudice and insecurity faced by women every day. With not everyone having the privilege of striking – I mean, shit still needs to get done – most women had the ability to choose their OOTD colour choice. By wearing red we stood tall together, raising awareness for women who have been marginalised because of ethnicity, class, sexuality or disability. The Women’s March was an incredible starting point, but it did isolate many communities. What about Trans women? Muslim woman? Disabled women? Amid a long-term trend of increasing inequality and threats of violence, standing together has never been more important.
Speaking of standing together and workplaces, you may also notice the “Jubblies” tee that I wore to accent all this red. No, this isn’t just another one of your high street feminist tee’s, this is much more than that. This is Girl’s fight against Cancer. Yup. Last August, a friend of mine Lauren was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. As a young, spritely, positive human the words “it can happen to anyone” has never rung so true. There are a lot of shitty things that come with cancer and finding time to work around chemo is certainly one of them. I mean, for something that happens to women every single day there’s not a huge amount of support for them financially. To be honest, before this post I never had really thought about the financial implications cancer would bring. I mean, one minute you are going about your badass self then the next you are off work on statutory sick pay while trying to kick cancers ass? Don’t think so. So, with this in mind, my girl Lauren decided to do what she knows breast, help herself live life by selling her own collection of titty type tee’s. With the cash from these t-shirts Lauren can focus on getting better, rather than the worries about making rent and keeping food in her belly and with 25% of the sales going to Breast Cancer Haven too, there couldn’t be any other femme tee that will help more directly than this one. So whether you like Lady Lumps, Knockers or Fun Bags, you can show your support (and touch your titties) and get yours here. From me to you girl, you got this.
It really was incredible to see woman celebrating yesterday but I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw comments asking why there is a Womans Day at all. Well, I’ll tell you why. International Women’s Day is about celebrating the courageous, pioneering females all over the globe who inspire us. It’s a moment to thank those who defended women’s rights, as much as it is a moment to acknowledge our mothers, daughters, sisters, cisters and friends. While yesterday marked a particularly poignant International Women’s Day, don’t let it be the only occasion that you celebrate the women in your life. Every day, women work tirelessly to prove themselves in a male-dominated world: they are paid less, praised less, worked harder and under terrible, sometimes frightening conditions. Let the women in your life know just how much they mean to you. Let the women in your life know that they are appreciated. Let the women in your life know that they are more than just women: they are equal humans whose defining characteristic is not their gender but their ability to create change in this world. This is why we celebrate. This is why yesterday, i wore red.
