As I surfed the waves of Facebook a moment ago, searching for this week's article inspiration, I found a video from Glamour magazine of a Spice Girls' music video remake. My inner bad-dancer squealed, and I couldn't click on the play button fast enough. "Wannabe" is my jam.
After reading some background information, I realized that the music video remake was originally published back in July of 2016 for the charity Project Everyone. In the video, girls from around the world dance to an upbeat and bubbly iconic record. Except this time, girls present challenges they face and things they wish the government would change. From India, to South Africa, to the United Kingdom, women advocate for equal pay, an end to child marriage, quality education, among other issues. And to be honest? It's empowering.
One of my favorite movie characters of all time is Julia Stiles' Kat in "Ten Things I Hate About You." Ever since the first time I experienced her headstrong, fearless, feminist attitude, I laughed with excitement. Kat isn't a pushover. I like that. At one point in the movie, Kat's teacher finally has had enough of her passionate rants and says, "And Kat, I want to thank you for your point of view. I know how difficult it must be for you to overcome all those years of upper-middle class suburban oppression."
Even though that part in the movie is comedic, I feel as though in reality, that occurrence is something that happens a little too often. I think women are discredited by the idea that they feel entitled, or that they truly don't "understand the struggle." Yet it has never been a secret that women have held a lesser value in traditional business society. It is also not a secret that women are continuing to change that. In a quote by the comedian, Aziz Ansari, "You're a feminist if you go to a Jay Z and Beyonce concert, and you're not like, 'I feel like Beyonce should get 25% less money than Jay Z.'" While we're at it, let's shout-out H.Clint's shattering-the-glass-ceiling video from the Democratic National Convention, or the Secret deodorant ladies' room stress test commercial, where a woman is caught practicing what she will ask her boss about the gender gap.
That, my dear, is Feminism. With a capital F.
Feminism to me is not about creating a hierarchy of women and men. Nor is it a disparagement or ill behavior, or whine.
Feminism is about demanding a voice and having that voice heard.
Believe it or not, this past week, January 10 marked the 139th anniversary since the Women's Suffrage Amendment was introduced to the United States senate for the first time. January 10 also marked the 100th anniversary of the National Women's Party "Silent Sentinels" march on Washington, D.C., prompting the President to support women's suffrage. Turns out, those women kept up their occupation of the White House front gates until the 20th Amendment was ratified almost two and a half years later. Needless to say, we women have been at this for a while. And honey, we aren't going anywhere. We're going to keep at it.
Every Spice Girl remake at a time.
And that's #WhatIReallyReallyWant
(To see the Spice Girl remake, click here! >> http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/spice-girls-wannabe-song-remade-by-project-everyone)
