Happy (Day After) International Women's Day

So, I guess I blog about women's issues now. Go figure. I had hoped to get a blog up for international women's day, but life was a bit hectic and I had a million things going on so the day after will have to do.

On Facebook a friend shared a photo with a poem by Rupi Kaur from her book Milk and Honey.

i want to apologize to all the women i have called beautifulbefore i’ve called them intelligent or bravei am sorry i made it sound as thoughsomething as simple as what you’re born withis all you have to be proud ofwhen you have broken mountains with your wit from now on i will say things likeyou are resilient, or you are extraordinarynot because i don’t think you’re beautifulbut because i need you to knowyou are more than that

My response was rather silly, however it was one that I often use when referencing things that move me. "Well, I hadn't planned on crying today."

The thing is, I was moved by the sheer grace of this poem. Not negating the beauty of women, but encouraging their other qualities. Moved so much that sitting at my desk low key checking on facebook, I felt my throat tighten and my eyes water. I was the girl who was resilient, who could be more than just the features she was born with. All women could be.

As a western woman my issues look different than my fellow feminists across the globe. Here we fight for equal pay, and economic status among other things. In western Europe women fight for the right to their bodies and their health. In many parts of Asia women fight for the right to exists with out being the property or the pleasure of a man.

No mater what the struggles women face, no matter how trivial they are we should support one another.

On this (day after) International Women's Day we should focus on things that bind us together in the female experience. Support one another, know that we are more than just pretty faces, we are more than just cute dresses, we are more than just our jobs. We are fully formed personalities forged by our own desires. We are the masters of our destiny, or own bodies, our own rights.

I support you my sisters, and I am thankful that I can see what you have become, and what you will become.