7th March 2020
CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
We chat to three strong and inspiring women we've crossed past with and asked them what being a women means to them.
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8th, and is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we chatted with three inspiring women that we’ve crossed paths with in the last 12 months. They each told us about their unique feelings of what it means to them to be a woman in today’s world and what advice they’d give to other young women crafting their own path.
EMMA PROUDFOOT – Producer & Stylist
What does being a woman mean to you?
Big question. Today I feel empowered. Very different to how I felt as girl growing up. I have grown into woman hood. I guess I was riddled with insecurity born from societal objectification and sexualisation of women throughout my school years. I have learnt to just go forth and take on the challenges of life without getting bogged down by that shit. Any role or opportunity in life I have been lucky enough to have been given I try to take on with ambition, compassion and kindness; soft power is what I’m all about, and only a woman knows how to execute!
Do you have a female role model? Why do they inspire you?
I have many strong women in my life I admire and am inspired by, my mother, my grandmothers, my closest female friends, my work colleagues - I’m surrounded by ass-kicking, go-getting women constantly lifting each other up.
What advice would you give to young women?
Give less fucks. You are so much more than your body/image. Stop caring so much about what’s on the outside and start working on what’s on the inside. And always be kind.
JADE LE FLAY – DJ & Producer
What does being a woman mean to you?
Being a woman to me is about loving yourself and the gifts and beauty you were born with but not only that, allowing that love and those gifts to transcend and inspire those around you. Even when the odds are against you or when you think you cannot make a difference as 1 woman, you must always know that you truly have more than enough to offer others.
Do you have a female role model? Why do they inspire you?
I have many female role models but I couldn't possibly overlook the lady who gave me life, who raised me and to this day is my biggest fan - my Mum. I'm so lucky to have her and no matter where the universe takes me, she will always be my home and my rock. Her kindness, strength and patience exceeds anything you can imagine and even through the hardest of times no matter how her patience is tested, she doesn't stop smiling.
What advice would you give to young women?
Unless you can say you are 200% happy with everything in your life, no matter how big or small, my advice is to go and do that thing that plays over and over repeatedly on your mind - or at least take a small action to work toward it. Do that immediately! Tomorrow! This weekend! Change is scary but so is doing nothing about something that will better serve and grow you!
MILO HARTILL – Model & Dancer
What does being a woman mean to you?
Being a woman means whatever you want it to mean! For me being a woman means having a lot of power, that wasn't obvious to me when I was younger, but I have been so lucky to grow into. Being a woman can sometimes mean being set back for things you cannot change about yourself, but it can also mean endless opportunities, whether that’s from a viewpoint that some women are literally capable of creating life (how freaking cool!), or simply being able to create and shape new standards and roles, and striving towards equality and equity for ourselves in our ever changing world.
Being a woman means fighting and embodying strength within yourself every single day, and being more than what is expected of you or sometimes held against you! Being a woman means being worthy and valuable even in the face of adversity. Being a woman means being able to be supported by the strength of femininity that we as women of all types, shapes and sizes have access to, regardless of born gender/sex. Being a woman means infinite possibilities.
Do you have a female role model? Why do they inspire you?
My female role models in my life are ALL the women in my life, who continue to strive to be themselves, and continue fighting and being vulnerable and subjected to the trials that sometimes come alongside being a woman, or the judgement that can come with being a woman in our society, and I simply wouldn't be able to be the woman I am today if it wasn't for the women who came before me and the tools they have afforded me. The women closest to me, my mother and grandmother, are the strongest, most intelligent, kind and giving people I know, regardless of gender or general expectation, and throughout the trials they have experienced whilst I have grown up, I have watched their resilience, and endlessly admired how they have always managed to continue through their lives and struggles whilst also ensuring to provide for me and our family.
What advice would you give to young women?
Being a woman doesn't mean fitting into the stereotypes, expectations and standards set up for us in society. Our world is changing and we can be the change that allows the next generation of women to have more opportunities from the beginning and have the rights that we are entitled to. Being a woman doesn't mean having genitalia that is usually associated with the female body: not all women have breasts and a vagina, and as a woman I feel as though we are in this journey together, fighting for the rights and expression of experiences of ALL women! Being a woman means sometimes we might feel like we are alone, or in some circumstances unsafe, but know that women of all walks of life have much more strength than we are given credit for, or even know, within ourselves, and days like International Women’s Day, give us an open opportunity to show that strength and power! Know your worth, you deserve the world, you are worthy, and should NEVER think, believe or be told otherwise!