Image credits to Achievement First
Each year, March is marked with the celebration of Women’s History Month (WHM). A month that is supposed to center conversations around and bring attention to women’s rights, efforts, and of course, history. But why do we celebrate it? I mean, women do cool things every day, why do we need a whole month to focus on our achievements and progress? This article dives into the importance of the month as well as some personal notes on women I find exceptionally extraordinary.
So What’s the Point?
I’ll be frank here. I used to hate the idea of WHM. I hated thinking that women are so insignificant and insecure that we need a whole month of dedication in order for people to pay attention to us. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that isn’t the point at all. The fight for women’s rights will, sadly, always exist. There will always be gender discrimination, and there will always be people that believe women belong in the households and nowhere else. Pretty disheartening right? That’s why we have this month (only one month because to ask for a whole year of respect is clearly too much). WHM is about bringing attention to all the things we do have. All of the things brave, strong women have achieved, even when it seemed impossible. It’s about the young girls, the teenagers, who are learning every day how cruel a world we live in. How the cards will always, no matter what, be stacked against us. Women’s History Month, for women, should be a month of bragging. Oh you got a promotion at work? You’re making strides in a historically male-dominated industry? Let’s celebrate. For men, especially those anti-feminism (ohhh yes I said the “F” word) narrsassict, “women belong in the kitchen” men, Women’s History Month should be a time for learning and accountability. Take the time to learn the history. Learn why it’s so important to celebrate this month. The fact of the matter is that it gets more and more important every year because women’s rights-somehow- becomes more and more of an issue every year. Take for instance the battle on abortions. In Texas, women’s reproductive rights have been taken away. How do we bring more attention to that? How do we get people to see how inhumane those laws are? WHM isn’t a fix for the problems and inequality plaguing our world, but it’s a chance to celebrate all of our accomplishments in face of all the rights and respect that we don’t receive. It’s a time for hope and inspiration and women loving women. I hope we never stop recognizing this month.
Women Are So Cool
The list of women I admire is extensive. I’ve been told I’m young and impressionable and that’s why I look up to almost every woman I come in contact with. But I don’t think that’s true. I think everyone- especially younger girls -needs a strong woman to look up to. I just happen to have quite a few.
In staying true to my dreams and interests, I want to talk about women in sports. I tend to not watch a ton of sports, but it will never cease to amaze me when I see a woman doing her thing in the sports industry. Of course wrestling is where it all started for me. Renee Paquette (formly Young) remains one of the coolest people in the world to me. If you’ve been following me for a while, this is not news to you. I first saw her on the Hell in a Cell kickoff show in 2014. I thought nothing of it as I was fairly new to wrestling and didn’t know anybody yet. Then my mom mentioned how when she was growing, there wasn’t a woman in a role like that. My exact response was, “Cool.” But as the years went on I kept watching her and I started turning on the shows to see her specifically, and somewhere along the line, I realized I wanted to do what she was doing. All of it. The interviews, the shows, the commentary. I still want to do it all. She’s the biggest trailblazer to me.
The next person I want to mention is Denise Salcedo. I’m just starting to familiarize myself with her, but she’s doing everything I dream of doing. And the best part? She started from scratch and built such an insane profile and career all by herself. Maybe I can do it too.
Keeping with the sports/journalism theme, let’s talk about Katie Feeney. I found her by accident while scrolling through Instagram reels, and I’m not sure what it was, but something instantly drew me to her. Most of you probably don’t know her, so to give a little background, she’s a student at Penn State studying broadcast journalism (what a dream) and does a lot of social media work. The big thing is: she got invited to do press at the Super Bowl. The fucking Super Bowl! She’s my age, too. Now I’m not a die hard football fan, but there’s just something about women in sports broadcasting that’s super inspiring. I want to chase that crazy dream more than anything.
This was just a very short, brief list of some of the women who’ve inspired me over the years. Of course there’s countless others, and this doesn’t even include all the friends, family, and everyday, ordinary women who show me all the time just how much women are truly capable of.
End Note
I hope this article finds you all well, and I hope you take some time to reflect on the women in your life who are fighting the fight and doing whatever the hell they want- no matter who tells them “no.” This won’t be my only women’s article this month, I have at least one more if not two left to get out there. This subject is so important to me, and it should be to you, too. If you’re a woman reading this, Happy Women’s History Month, the world wouldn’t turn without you.
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