4. Hear Me Roar
Happy 2020 blog family! March is upon us, the sun is shining, flowers are in bloom….spring is in the air! Spring is a season of transformation. A season of growth. And a season of promise. It’s only fitting that March also brings us Women’s History Month.
As a history buff, I’m inspired by stories of women who risk it all for the causes they believe in. Women, who despite their standing, dream big, speak up, and fight hard for equality. This entry is dedicated to history’s female trailblazers, and to today’s women who are shaping the future. Let’s dive into to their stories and get to know some of the women who changed the world.
Cleopatra
In Western history Cleopatra is known for her beauty and extravagant lifestyle. Only recently have we come to know her for who she truly was to the Egyptian people, a very effective queen and well-regarded ruler. During a chaotic time in history, Cleopatra used her influence to align herself with allies that would serve Egypt’s national interest. Rightfully earning her the reputation of political strategist and tough negotiator. But history’s portrayal of this female pharaoh often depicts her as nothing more than a manipulative seductress. The same traits men saw as a woman’s weaknesses, are the same traits Cleopatra used to rule a nation for three decades. #getitgirl
“It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's success to her beauty rather to her brains, to reduce her to the sum of her sex life.”
Jane Austen
Known for creating an entire literary genre, Jane Austen is the OG rom-com queen. Austen gave us some of literature’s greatest hits like Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, while just a teenager. She created spirited and strong female leads that challenged women’s roles in society. Keeping her identity hidden for some of her most popular novels, it wasn’t until after her death that her brother publicly announced Austen as the true author. Her name and image are now used for street activism, political stages, and even coins as a symbol for women’s rights.
“I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.”
― Persuasion, Jane Austen
Sojourner Truth
Born into slavery in 1797, Sojourner Truth escaped to freedom with her newborn daughter in 1826. After a life of harsh physical labor and violence, Truth became an outspoken advocate of civil and women’s rights. With a deep voice and at nearly six feet tall, she used her booming presence to challenge racial and gender inequalities, by pointing out the combination of her strength and gender. In 1851 Truth delivered the famous “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech in Ohio at a women’s rights conference. Check out one of my favorite #girlbosses, Kerry Washington, reciting the speech.
Nikki Haley
History is full of female underdogs, and we live in a time where more and more women are leading in their fields. One of my favorite female leaders is Nikki Haley. Born to a Punjabi-American Sikh family, and serving as South Carolina’s first woman governor, Haley is breaking down walls left and right. Haley has shared the challenges of growing up “brown” in a “black and white” world, and how a life in politics, a world dominated by men, has taught her to master the style of “grit and grace.” Reading her book, With All Due Respect, has encouraged me as a female in business to wear ambition like a crown, without losing the unique humility that comes with being a woman.
“Pushing through your fear and being successful has a downside though, especially for women. You can expect to be labeled with the ‘A’ word: ‘ambitious.’…But if being ambitious is being good at your job, then fine, you can call me ambitious. I will just consider myself a badass.”
-With All Due Respect, Nikki Haley
These ladies have laid the groundwork for the women’s rights movement. They have made it possible for women like me to voice my opinion, get an education, and pursue a career…but there is still work to be done. Until I can share my thoughts in a meeting without it being an “emotional reaction.” Until I can show passion about a project without being called a “cheerleader.” And until the thought “would this happen to me if I were a man?” no longer crosses my mind, there will be work to be done. My generation will build on the success of our predecessors, we will carry the torch for future women, until inequality is something only found in textbooks.
Here’s to the future!
