Louboutin

Today is International Women’s Day, and I really just love the idea behind it.

The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2012 is “Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty.”  It doesn’t seem like people can unite behind many causes these days, but can we all please agree that we can get behind ending hunger and poverty?  I’m not even asking you to get behind the UN… Just the ending hunger and poverty.  I’m in support of any day where we get a few more people involved in giving women around the world clean water, food, and a decent quality of life.

I’m also in support of any day that opens our eyes to the horrendous struggles that women in other in countries are facing, that we don’t even have to think about.  More people will read some of their stories today, because they’re on the front page.  It shouldn’t take a special day to make us look at what goes on in other parts of the world, but it does sometimes.  So if it helps… I’m all for it.

The top story on CNN earlier was about women in the boardroom.  Some are going to say, wow… we’ve come a long way.  Some are going to focus on how far left there is to go.  That’s fine.  They’re both right.

I love a day where women advocate for other women.  Where they insist that the world take notice, and they try to make life a little better for each other.  Especially for the women who have no voice.

What I can’t handle, is when women turn against women.  When women try to force their own ideas on each other.

I’ve been told a few times that I’m “anti-feminist.”  I never know what to say.  Are they right? It depends how they define feminist.  I’m apparently not subscribing to whatever brand of feminism they’re advocating.  And if they want to get riled up about that, ok.

I don’t like arguing over who has the right to choose what and when, or who should be paying for who’s birth control or what organizations should or shouldn’t cut funding for other organizations.  It’s not that I think these things are unimportant.  They are important, and I have my own opinions.  But I have a problem with lumping everything in as fighting for women.  I know plenty of educated, fabulous women on both sides of all of these politically fueled debates.  To boil the nuances down to you’re “for women” or “against women”? Nope. I don’t buy that.

I’m more of the pink sparkly feminism type.

I think that if I have a daughter, she should grow up believing she can be anything she wants to be.  And I think society should believe that too.

I think choosing to stay home and invest in the next generation is just as admirable as climbing the corporate ladder.

I don’t think that letting a man open a door for you makes you weak.  It means he has good manners.

I believe the fun of playing “dress up” never ends, but women’s real beauty comes from inside.

I know women have the passion and compassion to make a real difference in the world.  And that’s what today celebrates.  And I love that.

So whether you protest, or rally, or “Rock the Lips”, or get informed, or make a donation, or hug a girlfriend that needs it, or call your mom because she wants to hear from you… Find some little way to celebrate women today.