March 8^th marked International Women’s Day where women from all around the world celebrated being female.
Following the Trump presidency, women felt a great urge to be heard. The organization of women inspired by the creator of the Women’s March on Washington, Teresa Shook, formed protests to show the world what it was like to live in a world without women.
Protestors zipped up their wallets to show how vital we are to our economy, wore red to show solidarity, and took a day off of work to show how much space we really fill. Women are vital to the economy and world, making up 47% of the US workforce, 55% of college campuses, and almost 50% of the population in every country.
Celebrities, activists, and political leaders all around the world set out on this historic day to celebrate our power in the world. Former First Lady, Michelle Obama, went to a public combined middle school and high school in Washington D.C. to celebrate the day with them and showcase their power and brilliance as growing young women.
Anne Hathaway took to the United Nations to fight for women’s rights, such as maternity leave. Other celebrities and public figures took to social media to show their support as well as marched and protested.
Businesses chose creative ways to show support, such as some tattoo parlors donating money to organizations to benefit women whenever a women-themed tattoo was purchased.
This kind of world wide support however has not just been seen today or in the recent years. International Women’s Day has been around since the beginning of the 1900s, where women were voicing their opinions, although not as publicly as today. International Women’s day was formalized by the United Nations (UN) in 1975 and has been morphing each year to cover more issues such as women empowerment, prejudice, social roles, and other forms of oppression.
Each year, this day has become more powerful and has been a beacon of hope for women in every country, including women outside the United States, where women’s rights have been obstructed and stalled by dictators and oppressive rulers and laws.
The day also highlights a year of unrest having to do with President Donald Trump and his administrations goals and morals, which exclude women and our rights.
Donald Trump took to twitter to “honor” the “critical role of women here in America and around the world” and said he had “tremendous respect for women”. However, his actions do not back up his words. His cabinet does not reflect the equality that he deems is present and the frequent pictures he posts signing bills which shows the room filled with men, and the occasional sighting of a woman (two, if we’re lucky).
Almost every day is a day without women in his administration. Despite this, International Women’s day was a beautiful representation of the backlash against the current administration and their goals. The feeling of solidarity was heartwarming.
Our work towards equality as women will have a long path, but through political movements and women coming together for a common goal, change will come whether men like it or not. Women are having stronger influences in our society, showing greater resistance, and persevering which creates a positive changes for women everywhere.