I'm the only woman on a 4 person morning radio show. I LOVE my job. My main responsibility is to keep people informed and perhaps even make them laugh once in a blue moon. International Women's Day has apparently been around since the early 1900s but I don't ever really remember companies going all out to make sure they are beating the drum and saying LOOK AT US ....WE LOOOOOOVE WOMEN!
Please don't get me wrong, I'm here for the celebrations (y'all know I love a good party). But when the boss looks and me and says, ok Tessa what should it be, what is this day all about???? That my friends is a fully loaded question.
If this was a history paper I'd probably pick a bra burner, a suffragette, or (my personal favorite trail blazer) Dolores Huerta. I'd tell you about the tireless work the women before me had to put in so that I can come in every morning to talk about Bachelor nation after I defend Taylor Swift.
HOWEVER, this is a personal blog page and if there is one thing I can promise to always be...that's honest. Honest enough to know that I speak from a place of major privilege, I have a literal microphone in front of me and can basically rant and complain anytime I see fit; but in actuality, women all over the world are indeed experiencing bias. Oh, so I should probably mention that this years theme for International Women's Day is #BreakTheBias and you may see posts with women crossing their arms using that hashtag.
So, how do we do that? How do we #BreakTheBias? Personally, I think it's a mixture of soaking up the wisdom of the women before us and choosing to be the main character in our own stories. Not long ago, women didn't even hold the pen to write their own story, they had to play whatever hand they were dealt and still somehow rose through the ranks of a society that considered them inferior. I always visualize a flower growing out of concrete when I reflect on the resiliency of women. Point being, if someone is treating YOU differently because you're a woman, that is officially a THEM problem.
Now we really do have control over our own destiny. Imagine the joy of our ancestors! Standing on their backs, we are breaking the same barriers that once held them back!!! I think of my own grandmother who never got to see me deliver the daily sports report in a male dominated industry; but I just know it was her prayers and sacrifices that led me to that accomplishment.
So here we are my fellow gorgeous species, International Women's Day 2022, look at us...so much to be proud of, yet so much work still to be done to ensure future young women get their share of what has always belonged to us, equality. Because not only do we now sit at the table, we make the table look damn good.
-t
I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful women!!
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY MY LOVES!!!