34 Comments
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Katherine Cleave's avatar

Hear hear!! Beautifully put as always 👏🙏

Anna's avatar

Yes I do too. What a load of bollocks it is and how so many people seem to think it’s a good idea and celebrate it, even women. Your article is wonderful, thank you for writing it. I am so world weary at the moment but what’s keeping me going is that I’m creative , I’ve got great people in my life and I’ve started doing much more exercise including body combat which is full of kicks and punches where I delightfully imagine all manner of shit men I have experienced being pulped by my badly designed for fighting body!

Ros Barber's avatar

May your badly designed for fighting body have many years of fun imaginarily booting the men who have harmed you, Anna!

Natalia Herrera's avatar

Wow, thank you for resharing. Such a powerful post, and so many true points. Things really feel like they’re getting worse. I wrote a piece about International Women’s Day too, and while I was writing it, I felt both angry and sad about the lack of real improvement. Sometimes it feels like we’re going backwards, and that makes me so nervous, especially as the mom of a girl. The only thing we can do is keep fighting, supporting each other, and raising our voices whenever we can.

Claudia Befu's avatar

I felt so humiliated at school when they made us--girls--sew the pillowcases. LOL! I liked reading, playing chess, and collecting stamps. I disdained sewing and knitting. Though I loved dolls and wanted to be a princess when I was five! Hahaha. But I never cared about 'behaving like a girl' and I must say I got away with it most of my life.

Always a pleasure reading you, Ros. 💚

Shell's avatar

I wanted to be a princess because I’m enamored of huge poofy dresses.

I am far from a princess of any kind, but as a middle aged closer to old woman, I do go sweeping around in big poofy dresses. BECAUSE I CAN.

Hannah Vincent (she/her)'s avatar

WOW. Thanks for re-sharing. I would have been sorry to miss this righteous rant. What a fine woman you are, Ros, and fine women the world over need celebrating whatever fucking day of the year it is x

Suzy Rowlands's avatar

I know a brilliant read by how it can make me cry and laugh all within a few minutes. Oh so many things here resonate. I was always desperate for the kick ass lego sets.

I always remember a great IG post a few years back of someone eloquently expresing how they hope that Gay Pride day will at some point be no more bc the mere idea of it suggests there’s still some way to go when it comes to acceptance, nevermind equality. I’d never thought about it like that. Just as I’ve never thought about International Women’s Day in the same vein - until this post. SO yeah, right with you! It can go do one! ❤️‍🔥

Ros Barber's avatar

Thank you, Suzy. The laugh/cry combination is my favourite. When this long campaign to be treated as full human beings is exhausting, I find a nicely-crafted rant puts fuel in the tank!

Suzy Rowlands's avatar

A nicely crafted rant and a few well placed F bombs aaaalways do the trick! 🙃🪄✨

Julie Potiker's avatar

Love this!

gpatz's avatar

Hear hear!

Caryl Swift's avatar

Too right. Thank you for this ❤️

Blanche Boyd's avatar

Love this!

Rosana Francescato's avatar

I love this so much!! BTW, in junior high in the early 1970s, I managed to take shop rather than home economics. Even though I didn’t know much about cooking or sewing. I just didn’t want to be made to take that shit!

Herbert agyemang-duah's avatar

Well written

Coco Sea's avatar

Hahohu! Why aren't we celebrating 1 month instead of one day?

Snark Nugget coloring books's avatar

I feel this so much!! I had to stop mid way and comment asap! Being a woman is boring… like no i don’t want to fucking talk about I pushed my babies out my vagina. No I don’t want talks about food either…

And when I wanna talk about certain topics It falls to deaf ears… but you know its fun having tits I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️

Mauro Formentin's avatar

Love this post. It really made me stop and think. Why do we still need an International Women's Day? Until women are truly treated equally to men—why is there even a difference?—so many experiences remain invisible, and I find that deeply upsetting. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

John Barber's avatar

I recognise the computer buying situation. A couple of weeks ago I went with a female friend who was hiring a car, just to offer moral support. The assistant (who was a woman herself) kept talking to me rather than to my friend. I had to turn my head away to stop her doing it!