By: Juanita Cortés Moreno 10A
It’s February, which means Valentine's day is approaching and you are probably expecting a romantic article on how to spend this sweet day. I am sorry to disappoint you, but you won't find it here. Even though we cannot deny how special that day is, we've been focusing so much on finding the perfect roses and chocolates that we have forgotten about one of the most iconic dates for our beloved female gender: The Women's March.
On January 21st, 2017, a worldwide protest was held in order to fight for gender and racial equality, immigration and healthcare reforms, reproductive and LGBTQ rights, and freedom of religion within other polemic topics. This march was inspired by the ascension to power of the now U.S president, Donald Trump, and his radical and discriminatory statements. As I said before, this movement took place in almost the entire planet, including Colombia (although it was not as strong as in other places), but its central location was, of course, the United States of America. In addition to all this, The Women's March did not only break one record but two: the majority of the protestants were female (including celebrities like Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and even the US senator Elizabeth Warren, among others) fighting for their rights, giving honor to its name; also over five million people participated, giving it the title of the most crowded peaceful protest held in history.
Almost a year passed, giving place to the 2018’s Women's March, which was held last January 20th and took place all over the world (again). This time, it defended almost the same issues as last time, adding "Power to the Polls" and other campaigns created throughout the year such as #MeToo and Time’sUp as focus points. #MeTo and Time’sUp are campaigns created mostly by celebrities saying goodbye to gender inequality, mistreatment, abuse and discrimination; and saying hello to respect and egalitarian rights for all. Social figures such as Taylor Swift, Emma Watson, Hilary Clinton, and Michelle Obama among many others, have taken a stand to fight for their rights, which are also ours, and that is a lead we all need to follow.
In the last few years, feminism has had a negative connotation, its leaders have been labeled as radicals and even crazy. Nowadays, almost half of the world stands up against it, but is only because they don’t really get what it means; most of the people believe that feminism is a man-hating policy, that as male chauvinism does with men, feminism does with women, stating that the female gender is superior. However, that is not the real definition at all. According to Oxford’s dictionary, the definition of feminism is “The advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.”, which in other words means that feminism is a movement that fights for the equality of both genders, and as I see it, there is nothing wrong with that, actually, everything is great with that.
I am a feminist, and I am not ashamed to scream it out loud. As Pachas, we live in a female community, and we have to learn to value ourselves, fight for our rights, and not let any stereotypes let us down. We need to follow the lead of the over 5 million people marching on Women's March, we must take action, stop pretending that we are useless perfect little dolls, and remind ourselves that we are the future of our society. We have to Remember that Time’s Up, because as Emma Watson said during her I am a feminist speech for the United Nations Organisation, “If not me, Who? If not now, When?”
“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger.
Women are already strong.
It's about changing the way the world perceives that strength”
G.D Anderson
