International Women's Day?

I only heard of this for the first time back in 2017 when MyProtein invited me over for a photo shoot to celebrate different female athletes.

I’ve seen lots of brands pushing it over the last few days (and years) but it’s not something I’ve felt hugely compelled to celebrate every year.

So, in writing this email, I’m trying to figure out why I was more excited to celebrate Pancake Tuesday than IWD.

And it’s just hit me.

Privilege.

I come from a happy home that would never treat women different to men.

I’ve always seen my parents as equal humans and they’ve always treated my brother, my sister and myself equally.

I went to a mixed school and was lucky to be given the same level of education as the boys in my class.

I live in a country that makes me feel like a respected citizen.

I’ve never once felt like my work was less important because I am a woman.

I am surrounded by strong, independent, confident women in my family and friends.

In my life, every day is women’s day.

But, unfortunately, there are millions of women in the world that don’t feel like that.

There are women who wake up every day and fight for respect, equal rights and even for their own dignity and safety.

When we look outside of our privileges, we can see that we need to raise awareness for causes that might not be directly affecting us.

Acknowledging your privilege is never easy and can sometimes cause internal conflict. But that is progress.

Male privilege is still prominent so we might have some difficult conversations today (“When is international mens day?!”). But these conversations are important.

By offering different lived experiences to other people, we can make the world a more compassionate and kind place to live.

So happy International Women’s Day to you all.

I am very lucky to be surrounded and supported by so many of you!

Thanks for reading,

Siobhan “Every day is woman’s day” O’Hagan