Dichtende Designerin

I want to honour all the magnificent women today, but I am exhausted. Exhausted of discussing my rights, freedom, existence and sexuality with strangers online. Exhausted of leaving my social media bubble which consists of educated and feminist people to get hit by reality.

There are still too many people in our world who think women’s rights aren’t human rights. And that is unbelievable to me, because whether you identify as a woman or not, we need to care about all people in this society. I’m also exhausted about discussing why we still need feminism and why gender equality benefits all genders. But I’m also inspired.

Inspired by all these magnificent women who continue to fight for their rights, empower other women and inspire me to never give up. Inspired by all the nonbinary folks and feminist men out there who show their identity, even when they are constantly getting harassed. For all the brave people who have suffered from sexual harassment and abuse but chose to live with their trauma.

I know that I am incredibly privileged and I always considered myself not a victim of this patriarchal society. But the more I think about all the comments others made about my body, the way some people keep questioning my skills and competence just because I am a woman ….

The gender pay gap and the gender data gap are real, so please educate yourself. Women are still discriminated against in a workplace environment, whether it is harassment or getting paid less than their male colleagues. And I’m not even in a position to talk about working mothers, who have to juggle being there for their children and working full-time while facing uninvited judgment for it. All that being said, I know I’m in a lucky position. Many other women aren’t.

Nobody wants to be a victim. We want to be empowered, to feel free and live our lives how we deem right. And I hope that’s possible in the near future, at least where I live, but there’s so much to work on. So let’s work on smashing the patriarchy together!

Even though some feminists might disagree with me on this: patriarchal structures suppress everyone who isn’t rich or in power, including most men. So it’s not just the female urge to smash the patriarchy, it’s the human urge to free ourselves from the societal, political and religious suppression that tries to hold us down, keep us small and hush our voices. Feel free to discuss this topic further in the comments, this is a safe space.

If anyone writes something hateful in my comment section, I will delete it. That’s to ensure my mental health and protecting others reading this. I am open to discussion, but my rights are not up for a debate.