(NOTE: This post is in commemoration of Women’s History Month, which officially ends today. Unofficially, I say let the celebrations continue. It’s never too late to toast the history of women who have made a difference, especially our mothers and our grandmothers...and the ones who came before them.)
Women’s History month has been around since 1995. Its purpose? To celebrate the contributions and special achievements of women over the course of our country’s history. Its shame? The fact that it’s needed at all. But it is. Even in 2021.
Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “You’ve come along way, baby.” This was the slogan for a 1960s ad campaign that associated smoking Virginia Slims cigarettes with being chic and liberated, confident and modern. The campaign capitalized on the nation’s second-wave feminism movement, which, no longer needing to focus on voting rights or property rights for women, advocated for reproductive rights and changes in custody and divorce law. Oh, yeah. Cheers to women. We’d come a long way since the first wave of the movement.
That second-wave feminism movement lasted into the 1980s, during which time I worked for a small management consulting firm in Boulder, Colorado. Our office was located near the Boulder Country Club, where we would sometimes take clients for a business meal. On occasion, the president would treat the whole staff to lunch there. I remember two such occasions, and I remember them through the lens of today—this last day of Women’s History Month - 2021.
The first lunch occurred on what is now known as Administrative Professionals Day. Back then it was called Secretary Appreciation Day, and that was the purpose of our lunch—to celebrate the great work done by the administrative professionals on our staff. Upon being seated, I watched the hostess give every woman in our party a rose. When she came to me, I politely declined. After all, I wasn’t a secretary or administrative assistant. I was a Certified Management Consultant, a designation I’d worked my tail off to achieve. I didn’t say as much to the hostess but tried to decline graciously, thinking she’d understand and move on. She didn’t. Instead, she insisted I take the rose, saying, “We consider today a wonderful opportunity to celebrate all women.”
The other lunch I recall occurred on a Tuesday. I don’t remember what was special about that particular Tuesday except for this: I learned it was Ladies’ Day on the golf course. “What day is Men’s Day?” I asked earnestly, not intending to make my boss squirm. He did, though, and that’s how I learned there wasn’t a need for a Men’s Day. Every other day but Tuesday was already theirs.
And therein lies the reason for having a Woman’s History Month. It’s needed, baby. It’s still needed.
Our textbooks remind us our nation was founded by lots of white men. As a whole, I have nothing against white men. It just seems wrong to only celebrate them—at the exclusion of others who have also made a difference. For the same reason we need Black History Month in February, we need Women’s History month in March. For the purpose of inclusion. For now, at least.
During Women’s History month, we get to revel in the history of women who made great contributions to our country. When I was younger, we celebrated Louisa May Alcott, Clara Barton, and Rosa Parks. My granddaughter’s list will expand to include Mae C. Jemison, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Kamala Harris. I love ‘em all. And these names barely get the party started, but that’s okay. The list will continue to grow.
But you know who we continue to forget to celebrate? The everyday woman. The woman who doesn’t make history but who keeps it churning. The woman who packs lunches and wipes runny noses and hopes her brain isn’t turning to mush. Or perhaps the everyday woman is the one who works two jobs to feed her family...or the one who collects unemployment because she can’t find even one job to feed her family. The everyday woman is probably just as exhausted as the woman we consider extraordinary—you know, that woman whose name gets celebrated in history because she got things moving and shaking.
Yet rarely do we celebrate the woman who is not a mover-and-a-shaker. And to that I say, shame on us.
So, to celebrate everyday women everywhere—and in honor of the everyday girls we’re raising—here are some adages to ponder. They come from extraordinary women—or, as I like to think of them, everyday women who just happen to be wearing extra special bling.
Ever hear any of these?
I figure, if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one. – Calamity Jane
Never apologize for being sensitive or emotional. Let this be a sign that you’ve got a big heart and aren’t afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength.” – Brigitte Nicole
Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. – Ruth Bader Ginsburg
If they don’t invite you to the table, bring a folding chair. – Shirley Chisolm
Don’t waste your energy trying to change opinions. Do your thing, and don’t care if they like it. – Tina Fey
“After all those years as a woman hearing, ‘not thin enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, not thin enough, not that enough,’ almost overnight I woke up one morning and thought, ‘I am enough.’” –Anna Quindlen
I want every little girl who’s told she’s bossy to be told instead she has leadership skills. – Sheryl Sandberg
Instead of telling bossy girls (or bossy children in general) that they have leadership skills, we should guide them on what it means to be a leader. – Lily Snyder
In the 1990s we entered the third-wave feminism movement, which continues today and aims to embrace a broader range of women with a diverse set of identities. So, yes, we women have come a long way. On the glib side, I no longer automatically receive a rose if I dine out on Administrative Professionals Day. But in a more serious light, we still have a ways to go. On many fronts. And not just relating to women.
But today I am talking to and about women. Today I remind women everywhere: Your stories are unique and amazing. They’ll be lost if not passed along. If lost, how will we really know what a long and marvelous way we’ve come?
So please, everyday women, share your extraordinary histories. In writing. Around the campfire. When you’re talking to your children and grandchildren around the dinner table. Or even online.
Celebrate your stories.
Because they’re needed, baby. Oh, yeah. They’re still needed. Cheers ~ J
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