Tuesday, March 8, 2011

It's International Women's Day, Who Cares?

There's a pink woman silhouette over the cafemom insignia this morning.

You, know. The kind you'd see on a bathroom door. A globe rotates behind it. International Women's Day. And this is a big one, you see, because it's the 100th one.

I've never heard of it before.

Women everywhere are making impassioned posts about women's rights and the plight of women across the world.

I'm remarkably (and characteristically) ambivalent about the whole thing. Frankly, being a woman in this country pretty much rocks. I have the same rights as any guy, more reproductive rights, and frankly, I don't need a day because I have a vagina and ovaries.

Now, you could make the argument that the ladies in other nations aren't sitting so pretty. That there is still rampant oppression and abuse... that women are still treated like chattel and I will nod and possibly even tear up at your descriptions.

However, I still think a day dedicated to half the human race is ridiculous.

First off- tell me what it solves.=? Even if every person on the earth donated a goodly amount of dollar bills on this one day- it would not change the oppression. It doesn't fix the problem. It's not even a blip on the radar, and it totally turns a serious problem into a Hallmark holiday.

Please don't buy me a card because my anatomy is different than yours.

I don't need a day to celebrate my breasts. My husband (and at this point, daughter) are pretty much happy to do that any day.

Unfortunately, women in other parts of the world have yet to earn their own station, just as our great-great grandmothers so graciously earned ours. I stand behind them, I support them, and I hope that some day every woman on the planet is as free as the women in the United States are. These women do not need a day- they need strong support, whenever it is called upon, whenever the time is right, and I'm confident that they will have it.

Because that's the kind of people we are. Every day.

Not just March 8th. Women's rights aren't a Hallmark holiday, ladies. And I don't need a pink silhouette with a flashing globe to celebrate being a girl.

I do that every day.

I encourage those of you making impassioned posts today- hold off. Wait. Call attention to the situation tomorrow. Next week. Next month. Next year. A little here, a little there.

Don't imagine that saturating the blogosphere for one day will be effective.
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5 comments:

Emmy said...

Except this isn't a Hallmark holiday. There aren't cards or gifts given. It's a day to remember the women who have come before us and paved the way, to honor those who are continuing that work, and to remember those who do not have it nearly as good as we do. Should we do this every day? Of course we should, but we have awareness days for all sorts of things so why not this as well? What is the harm in taking one day out of our busy lives to take a hard look at the women of the world. Nothing in my opinion.

So while I do pay attention all year, I have no objection to paying a little more attention today. Sometimes we don't have to "solve" anything in one day to make a huge impact in the days to come.

lovinangels said...

Hey, Emmy,

Thanks for commenting! I pretty much feel the same about all "awareness days."

Saturation of the media for one day encourages burnout and apathy, except for the people that are already impassioned by the cause.

I'm a slow and steady kind of girl.

lovinangels said...

Hey, Emmy,

Thanks for commenting! I pretty much feel the same about all "awareness days."

Saturation of the media for one day encourages burnout and apathy, except for the people that are already impassioned by the cause.

I'm a slow and steady kind of girl.

lovinangels said...

And I don't know why that went twice.

Denise G said...

Excellent post! I agree with almost all of it. Like other special days such as these. They need to be made aware all days not just one specific day and then fogotten by most.