Women's Day

“There is a woman at the beginning of all great things” said Alphonse de Lamartine, a French writer, poet and politician. International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on 8th March every year, yet the focus of the celebration varies in different regions. There are people who celebrate the day by wearing purple ribbons. How will you mark the day?

International Women’s Day was originally called International Working Women's Day and started as a Socialist political event. The holiday mixed the culture of many countries. The general focus of the celebrations is on respect, appreciation, and love towards women to women's political, economic or social achievements. Still, worldwide women fight for respect and the political and social awareness of their struggles are present in everyday life. So what exactly does it mean to be a woman these days?


Having a successful career, being a wife, being a mother? Maybe everything at once? Some might say it is labeling. The society tells women to be mothers or wives at certain age. Women’s attitude towards life has already changed. In Poland, for example, more and more young women decide to gain knowledge and experience, to travel, to explore the world before they start a family. They want to feel independent and focus on self-advancement.


Of course, women are different. Indeed, they are! Some of them are unmarried, some happily married; some without kids, some with a bunch of children; some at the start of their careers and some at the top of their careers; some enjoying work as homemakers, some constantly travelling; some young, some old; and other, somewhere in between. And all of them are happy. Yes – simple as that.

Pop-culture tells us that a real woman knows how to use her body to get what she wants. Being a woman is more than biology. Being a woman is firstly being a human. Being a woman is having advantages and disadvantages. Being a woman is the strength of her heart, her mind, and her body, It differs from woman to woman, it also differs culturally. Being a woman might also mean being afraid yet she will go beyond that fear to define herself and will not allow  somebody else to define it for her. And finally being a woman means taking responsibility for her life and for what she wants from that life.

If there is a significant woman in your life – your mother, your sister, your friend, your teacher, your beloved one – show her your love and appreciation every day. And on 8th March give her a tulip which is a symbol of charm and elegance.

Beata Jaranowska

 

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