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Why Women's Day doesn't make sense

If you too have received a glittery gif of a mimosa and feel a sense of dread about it, this is the article for you.

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If you didn't receive a glittery gif, they were sent to your mother, your aunt, your cousin. Chains of messages, grainy graphics in bright colors and then gifs full of animated glitter, hearts, various animals, all accompanied by corny messages, with a single purpose: to celebrate Women’s Day. But do they really celebrate it? And above all, do we really need to celebrate it? Why all these questions, you ask?

Well, I have a confession to make (alcoholics anonymous style): I can't stand Women's Day.

When I perceive that this festivity is approaching, I mentally prepare myself for all the slogans, the mottos and yes, the glittery gifs, which will flow before my eyes. Do you find yourself in this description? If the answer is as positive as I hope, let's try to analyze (in a semi-serious way) the situation from various points of view.

 
 
 
 
 
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Un post condiviso da Kate Just (@katejustknits)

Welcome to the history corner, let's talk briefly about the story of this day, also known as International Women's Day. It does not originates from the fake commemoration of a group of workers who died in the fire of a shirt factory in 1911, New York (confused with another real story), the truth is much more 'serious' : the day was born from a series of conferences of socialist women's groups at the beginning of the 1900s, culminating in 1921 with the decision to establish March 8 as an official date, to remember the Russian women who protested together with men on March 8, 1917, starting the February Revolution. An origin with a strong political connotation, that however seems to have been forgotten.

It must be said, that with a greater presence of feminist themes in the mainstream media, the narrative around Women's Day is changing, with a focus on those figures who have made and are making history today. Still, there’s a very 'washed out' version of this day, where celebrating means offering a discount coupon, a small gift and obviously writing a whole series of posts, ranging from super-cheap and sugary girl power mottos to the ever-present  “women are precious like flowers”. In particular, the latter definition is still very widespread.

The flowers are obviously beautiful, but delicate, the women are mimosas, chosen in Italy as a symbol of Women's Day, as they bloom in early March, are affordable and often grow on rough ground. Yet they are so delicate, it takes little to leave traces of their golden dust.

 
 
 
 
 
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Un post condiviso da Acrimònia Magazine (@acrimoniamagazine)

We are "strong", invincible women, better than men, or delicate creatures that need to be protected in a passive way. Yet we are not talking about an endangered race, but about a 'group' that makes up half of the global population, a group of people so diverse and composite that it is impossible to store it into a series of pre-established categories.

But this is the current situation. Denying discrimination, silences, is not possible, it is not useful. But a day is certainly not enough to talk about it. It is a story long as history, because sadly, it is part of our history and must be reassembled brick by brick, every day, living in this world, each one of us rewriting our story, without constraints, judgments, pre-printed boxes to fill in.

And especially without glittery gifs.

 

 

Illustration by Gloria Dozio - Acrimònia Studios