Happy International Women's Day!
To be honest, you’re probably entirely inundated with content all about women today. You can’t MOVE for seeing Instagram posts shouting out mothers, friends and role models. Your inbox is probably pinging off the hook with deals and discounts for the women in your life, and you've got blogs and news articles coming out of the wazoo.
All that to say this is very much another piece of IWD content - so sorry (but not sorry) about that but we couldn’t possibly let the day pass by without marking the occasion in some way. So buckle up and let's talk about one of our absolute favourite (and most important topics) at Snag - all about inclusion.
What is International Women's Day?
Before we dive in entirely, if you didn’t know International Women's Day is all about celebrating the achievements of women, raising awareness about discrimination and promoting action to drive gender equality for everyone. This year's theme is all about “inspiring inclusion” - creating a better, more inclusive world for women and creating a better world for everyone.
IWD is marked in many ways. It could be hosting an event celebrating women, campaigning or fundraising for a women-focused charity, shouting out your role models, supporting a women-owned business or anything else that captures the spirit of the day.
It's not just a day for celebrating women though, and acts as a reminder that there's so much work still to be done. According to the World Economic Forum in a 2023 report, we probably won’t see gender parity in our lifetime.
I’ll let that sink in for a second.
There's so much work still to do. And it’s more important now than ever. It's 2024 for goodness sake, we really shouldn’t still be having these conversations.
And yet we are, so have them we will. And we will continue to fight the fight until the world is a better place for everyone. Not to toot our own horn too much, but advocating for inclusion and diversity is pretty much our whole thing here at Snag. We have always been a purpose-led brand, and we will always do our absolute best to make the world a better place and we won’t stop shouting about it until we have. Of course, IWD is all about raising up women, and we have always done our best to tear down the patriarchy in all the ways we know how. Important men in suits have been running the world for far too long, and it's time things changed.
We strive to include everyone who shares our values regardless of size, gender, race or ability. And we won’t stand by when we see anything otherwise - we’ve been told many times in the past we should stay in our lane and just stick to tights - but that won’t do anything to dampen our spirit.
Why do we need inclusion?
Imagine a world where everyone was truly equal. That no one was ever shamed for what they looked like or how they lived their life. There’s no discrimination based on gender or sexuality or any other things society likes to divide us on. There's no bias, there are no stereotypes. Just a world where everyone is valued.
That's the world we’re trying to build.
Inclusion across the board means that everything is better for everyone. It means people from all identities and backgrounds feel valued, they feel welcomed and they feel respected. Having that feeling of belonging is like nothing else. Deep down, we all want to belong. We all want to feel like we’re being understood and accepted for who we are. And too many times we’re told to stop feeling the way we feel purely because it's different to what society prescribes. We’re told as women that we’re not good enough. We should be grateful for what we get and have that be that. But women are so much more than the stereotypes and discrimination that gets forced on them. And everyone having a seat at the table regardless of who they are shouldn’t be a novelty, it should just be the way it is.
Why is inclusion so important?
Inclusion is important for so many reasons, and having inclusion across the board means there’s a diverse range of perspectives to choose from and everyone is represented. A huge range of perspectives, experiences and identities are acknowledged and worked with on a scale that means decisions can be made with everyone in mind. Imagine having products that were designed to suit everyone. Places that are designed with ultimate accessibility for those with disabilities. Jobs that work around you and your needs. Clothes that come in every size (wink wink). Having inclusion means that everyone is included, so no one ever needs to feel left out from just living their life.
Inclusion also leads to empowerment. When you feel included and valued, you’re way more likely to go out there and grab your goals with both hands. It makes you feel like you’re on top of the world, and having an inclusive society, whether that's in your workplace or just life in general, you have the support and encouragement to go out there and do whatever it is you want to do. It's even more empowering when you can see role models that have come before you. One of the best ways to lift women up is to show them someone who’s already done the thing they’re trying to do and is thriving with it. Having that inspiration means women can really do anything.
To be honest, I don’t think we need a big fancy awe-inspiring reason to want to promote inclusion. At the end of the day, inclusion makes things better for everyone just because it should. Just because you’re lifting up women doesn’t mean men have to fall - and that's true of every marginalised community vs society. Everyone is deserving of equal opportunities, rights and representation. We shouldn’t have to justify it, that's the full stop at the end of the sentence - the mic drop moment if you will. Society should be inclusive just because there’s no reason why it shouldn’t.
How can we inspire inclusion?
If we’re all honest, the best way to inspire inclusion is to fight for it. We can’t step to the side just because it's hard. We have to go out there and fight for change and shout loudly until it happens. We’ve got a long fight ahead of us, but getting up and advocating for change is the only way we’re going to achieve it.
Snag puts inclusion in everything we do, and we hope that comes across to our customers. EVERYONE is welcome here, no matter your gender, size, shape, age, sexuality or anything else. If you’re one of us, you’re one of us, and we will do our very best to make sure you feel seen and heard, I hope this International Women's Day - and every other day of the year - you will too.
0 comments