I had already written on March 8th, 2016 about this day. International Women’s Rights Day. A vast subject that shares. Between the fact that it is still necessary to have a day to talk about our rights and the fact that we can take advantage of this opportunity to talk about us. The result is the same you tell me: we talk about it. But the will behind is different.
I do not think I was raised to become a feminist. I was raised to become an independent person. Strong. Determined. Valuable. Proud. It does not matter my sex. My parents did not educate me with limits but with possibilities. At home cooking was not the exclusive territory of my mother and my father had fun preparing us good food (with nice presentations, forerunner of Instagram my father!) My mother has never waited until my father comes back to yell at us. We grew up with two equal parents who never made us feel that there could be a difference between a man and a woman other than physical. My parents raised us as a person.
Today at 30, I am well aware that this is not the case for all families. That some girls will be conditioned to believe that their role is in the kitchen and they have no right to dream as big as the sky. That some little boys will be conditioned to see the woman as a lower being. It is our responsibility to educate future generations. To teach them that the sex of a person does not pose a limit but brings a complementarity and a richness. That we can learn from each other without feeling in danger. To be born in a body that we have not chosen should not determine the rest of our lives. It’s up to us to draw the world of tomorrow.
Today I am proud of my friends who succeed their lives the way they decided. They are entrepreneurs, businesswomen, moms, girlfriends, sisters, ambitious, fulfilling, aunts, passionate, globe trotters, in love, determined, inspiring and inspired. They are the example I want to give to future generations. They are strong and have not let go to get there. They encountered obstacles of course, but they overcame them, they became better, they proved to the world who they were, and above all they did not let down. They did not let anyone know that they could not.
Today I am proud of my brother, my father and my grandfather the 3 men of my life who never let me believe that there were differences between us. Who supported me in all my projects and who helped me become the person I am.
I am proud as a woman to be able to inspire other women to be fulfilled.
Do not wait for us to “offer” a day to blossom. Do not forget that you are wonderful and have a thousand things to offer whatever path you choose.
Gentlemen appreciate the women you have around you, be proud and support without limit.
Plein d’amour pour vous,
Photos: One of the most talented and inspiring women I have in my life: Alison Bounce.
