I was fortunate to meet a remarkable women Shere Hite through a colleague of mine and was drawn to work with him, to create something based on her work and life mission
I remember the first question she asked me after meeting her 'What does it mean to be a post-modernism woman? I'm not going to lie didn't have a clue at what she meant but understood where she was going with this question.
I have to admit that women of today have it all, wealth, power, fame, success just to name a few which are all remarkable achievements in comparison to the time of our mothers. And I be the first to admit women have never had it any better, men kissing their 'feet' (so to speak), do all to be with certain women even if it means selling 'fake stories' to the tabloids.
Women are having a ball right now and many would say this is our moment, our time.
But I want to play devil's advocate for a moment just for a moment, bare with me.
Since the days of the 'feminist' movement, suffragettes etc when women were literally fighting with everything within and around them for equal rights, would you say we have moved forward or backwards?
I would say we are in between, in the developed world we are moving backwards but in the developing world they are moving forwards.
When I read the stories of Nobel Peace prize winners for 2011 three women from Africa and the Arab world in acknowledgement of their nonviolent role in promoting peace, democracy and gender equality. The winners were President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia— the first woman to be elected president in modern Africa — her compatriot, the peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, a pro-democracy campaigner. They were the first women to win the prize since Wangari Maathai of Kenya,who died in 2011, was named as the laureate in 2004. These women fought the fight what the 'feminist movement' was about in the 60s and 70s - gender equality and have won and continue to win. But when I look at the 'west' now although to a degree we have received gender equality, at the same time we have given it away. Without going into too much detail (well this is just a short ramble blog), if your a woman you would know exactly what I'm talking about.
I was approached recently and asked do I remember what I wanted to be when I was 16? I know my path has definitely diverted from where I saw myself in the eyes of a 16 year old and to a degree my life desires are now not aligned to where I saw myself when I was 16. To be honest I think has a child the ambitions and dreams we have for ourselves are exactly that 'dreams'. It's when a young girl enter womanhood the challenges of being a woman slap us and some get it wrong, it is then we rediscover what it really means to be a woman, and that certain aspirations maybe left alone and others should definitely be pursued do be aware for each woman this differs. There is no size fits all approach to this .
However, when I look at the lives of 16 year old today it actually breaks my heart at what they are fed by the 'mothers'.
Without name dropping, every single day young women are brainwashed to believe they have to look, act, talk or behave a certain way to be accepted or be successful.
Are young girls and women driven by images like this?
In the developed world we can't deny the fact that young women are being failed. Not just by men but by us 'WOMEN'.
It is time like this we need to re-educate young women reminding them what it truly means to be a woman, you can be feminine, sexy, and powerful without stripping clothes, being gawkily thin just to name a few. Femininity does not equal weakness. We need equality but don't need to sell our souls in return for it.
The last 8 weeks have been hectic, manic, enlightening, and it appears I may have drummed up the feminist spirit within me. I have to say no doubt it has been exciting, the launch of #WNW would be life changing, empowering and exciting for all young women who are fortunate enough to attend any of the seminars at Cambridge, or across London universities and others across the country YOUR IN FOR A BUMPY RIDE ;).
First stop is ....University of EAST LONDON.
Well hello it is me......
Lola Atkins
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