"girls bite back" sweatshirt: c/o Shein - jeans: Levi's Wedgie fit in Joshua Tree - denim jacket: c/o WEFashion - ankle boots: Spartoo - glue on glitter nails: Primark - rings: Diamanti Per Tutti
There is always room in my wardrobe for more girlpower/feminist inspired items so I can proudly wear my political aims on my sleeve. And what better day to post this look than today, International Women's Day? I fully support the a Day Without a Woman strike, but since I work at a place that is pretty awesome w/r to gender equality (the Social Sciences faculty of the University of Antwerp), I don't feel the necessity to stay away from work. I'm expressing my solidarity by wearing red, though, as suggested by the FAQ linked above. Red, the blood of angry women. You can do your part by not going to work, by sharing your opinion on social media, or by not buying anything - make the world feel that they can't go on without respecting 50% of the population.
I don't talk about feminism as often anymore on this blog, and I know some of you miss my more politically inspired posts. I wish I had more time and energy too! But I channel all of that into my PhD writing (on media sexualization and objectification) and my moderator role on Belgium's biggest Dutch language feminist facebook page (Feminisme is voor Iedereen), so you can rest assured that I still care a lot about the cause - my efforts are just a bit more diversified now. I still wanted to make the effort to write something for today, though.
I don't talk about feminism as often anymore on this blog, and I know some of you miss my more politically inspired posts. I wish I had more time and energy too! But I channel all of that into my PhD writing (on media sexualization and objectification) and my moderator role on Belgium's biggest Dutch language feminist facebook page (Feminisme is voor Iedereen), so you can rest assured that I still care a lot about the cause - my efforts are just a bit more diversified now. I still wanted to make the effort to write something for today, though.
With everything that's going on internationally, like known groper Trump being elected, women's access to abortion being curtailed in the US and abroad, and EU parlement members professing blatant misogyny, it has become increasingly clear that we need to let our voices be heard. We make up 50% of the population, and we have a political duty to take a stance, for ourselves, for our sisters and for our daughters.
Just before Trump was elected, I was reading Susan Douglas' Where the Girls are, and I was enraged by how little has changed in the West over a century of feminist action, but also hopeful for Hillary to win presidency and become a historical tipping point. We all know how that hope was grabbed by the pussy and nipped in the bud, and for about a month after Trump's election I felt completely deflated. This was supposed to be our moment, with a capable woman taking office, but instead we got this self-professed groper. It seemed as if we had missed our chance, and that it might take decades before another woman would ever get this close.
I see things differently now, though. Hillary might not have won, but instead of one powerful woman in office, women across the globe are finding their voices and claiming their political worth in a myriad of ways. Sure, the past few months have been a punch to the gut, but we've experienced worse and we persisted. People often question why people from outside the US are protesting Trump's policies, but for me it is crystal clear: being loud in our protest signals to our own political leaders that we care, and that they can gain our support if they take steps to protect and bolster women's rights. That is democracy. It brought us She Decides. The Women's March was just one step in our journey, and we won't back down.
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