March is Women's History Month and that means we're turning all our attention to the miracle-working women, not only throughout history but who are making history as we know it. Take time to celebrate all the Rosa Parks' in your life, the Marie Curie's, the Marie Colvin's, the Joan of Ark's, the Michelle Obama's. Take time to celebrate the women who are doing their best and look good doing it. Celebrate the women who put themselves through the dirty, difficult, compromising worlds of STEM, the arts, and literally any other position you could think of. We've all worked hard to be here and it's time to celebrate us, women because we deserve it. March is all about us, baby.
Being able to recognize the accomplishments and dignity of women through history and women who you know at this moment is empowering. The women of the past worked hard and we need to recognize where we come from. We all share different backgrounds, different lifestyles, different successes. We take pride in the accomplishments and attempts made by women in the past to get us to where we are today. Today, we can vote, we can work in any job a man can, we're expected to do more than bear children. We are closer than ever to equality, even though we are not there yet.
Women's History Month brings higher self-esteem and education brings women more respect. In a world that is on men's side, respect is the first step to gaining higher regard in any society. And this isn't just about men, this is about respecting each other as women. Bringing up our sisters and empowering them. Women's History Month isn't just about women who are wealthy, intelligent, able-bodied, and white. We all have reasons to celebrate and overcoming obstacles is often a step to take in order to succeed, especially for women.
So, let's celebrate our women in STEM. The concept of women being in a STEM field is still a newer concept in today's society, but we cannot deny that they've done some amazing things. Not only is there still an imbalance of women in these fields, but the ones that are there are vastly underrepresented. In the world, only 30% of these workers are women and we rarely hear about these women, unless it is in substantial cases. Some women in STEM who we can definitely applaud, though, are women like Kate Bouman, who in 2019, lead the team which developed the first-ever picture of a black hole. The ENIAC programmers from World War II were six women who programmed the first all-electronic programmable computer, but they were never introduced or credited for their work. Still, women are making and have been making all sorts of advancements that we have every right to be so proud of them for.
Women in the arts, while vastly more common, are still undermined. There has been a huge issue in the past years of women in the arts being taken for nothing above their physical appearance. They are asked questions about “who they are wearing" or “what their love life is like" while men get asked a question about their future endeavors or their struggles. When compared to males, women artists and actresses and singers and other art careers are grandly overlooked. Women like Ava DuVernay, who speak out about sexism in the directing and casting processes. Rowan Blanchard is still pretty young, but she is very outspoken when it comes to getting out of her story and being a voice for others.
Women in journalism is something that I personally am really interested in. Women like Marie Colvin and Frances FitzGerald really inspire me, in the sense that they were so dedicated to getting the truth out and making sure they don't hold back when it comes to making sure they are a voice for the people. Women in journalism don't hesitate to stick it in to 'em. And that's very respectable, especially considering women have been shut down in their writing for decades, even centuries.
I could go on and on and on about how amazing women are and how they prove to be such huge inspirations to others. Regardless of where you look, there are plenty of women there to make history. Women's history is our history and we can only go up from here. The women around you (and YOU) will continue to make the biggest advancements. So, take the time this month to recognize and celebrate women who inspire you. And don't forget to remember where we've come from and congratulate yourself for being so strong.
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