Women's History Month
Hold your body and say this is my body, this is my vessel, this belongs to me, I have agency over this.
Lama Rod Owens
How often have I overlooked the needs of my body, my life vessel due to internalized patriarchal values? How often have I given away my power because of internalized perceptions of what women are capable of in our patriarchal society – and of who is valuable in our capitalistic society?
I’ve listened to the messages from social media, the beauty industry, the education system, professional culture, and day-to-day urban life. I’ve bought into the power dynamics and tricks for getting by. I dressed up to look pretty when I thought it would get me a job. I hid an unhealthy eating habit to try to get skinny. I was soft when I thought my leadership would threaten the people in the room. I sweetened my voice thinking it would express how nice I am.
These thoughts are not our fault, and we are still responsible for them – for knowing them, understanding them and eventually letting them go. But we should not blame ourselves for thinking these thoughts. The programming is deep, it’s systemic, and it’s been going on for a long while.
Sebene Selassie, You Belong
Everybody awakens to their fullness of being at a different moment in life. The wisdom of who we really are is always inside us. It’s a matter of pulling back the layers to see it.
I’ve listened to podcasts with women talking about shedding their “nice girl” persona. Hearing their stories, I thought they were weak because they bought into society’s ideas. That was when I couldn’t see I was just the same. Today I cultivate compassion for that part of me.
This Women’s History month, I am owning my female body. I am putting aside what I’ve been told it means to be a woman. I am removing my patriarchy filter.
This goes beyond me and my experience. I commit to holding space for all female identifying people – Black, Indigenous, Women of Color and Trans women – to show up in their fullness. As Emma Lazarus said, “Until we are all free, none of us are free.”
What a wild ride modern culture is. I do believe all of it is a great teacher. Here’s to our collective path of freedom!
