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While I appreciate the celebratory energy that surrounds International Women’s Day, I am most grateful for its call to action. The day is symbolic of our past, present, and future—it culminates all we’ve fought for while opening the door towards gender parity. Acknowledgment from our society at large is important, yet the greatest strength lies within ourselves and our circles. I’m hopeful that women continue to see and value their worth across the spectrum.
It is my mission at Woke Beauty to support this self-actualization by documenting women’s rites of passage through photography and storytelling. I believe that photographs are our physical forms of legacy and I hope to capture a moment in their life that will stand the test of time. My therapeutic photographic experiences are rooted in resilience—a characteristic every woman brings to the table. There is also a deep connection to sustainability and I strive to create an atmosphere that allows women to step into their truest form, uninhibited.
In my portfolio, you’ll see a myriad of women, all deserving of space in front of the camera… as that is how it should be.
To that end, International Women’s Day is not bound by one single day nor one single image. The core tenets of its meaning are ongoing, even infinite.
So, I reached out to some of the incredible women in my life to share their hopes for the future. I hope you too will be moved by their beautiful words.
Katie J Spiritual | Life Coach
Her Hope:
My hope for the future of women is that more women will find calm, grace, and ease in our existence. I hope we will remember that we are not here to hustle but to enjoy our lives and that this will become a reality for women all over the world.
Follow: @womanifester
Photo by: Skylar Lee
Heather Gallagher | Photographer, Birth & Death Doula, Writer & Model
Her Hope:
My hope for the future of women is that we recognize that without intersectionality, none of us are truly free. Just like in antiracism work, we must support, elevate and protect those of us who are the most vulnerable. I’m talking about BIPOC, Trans and Disabled women. If your true love and support don’t currently extend to your marginalized sisters, my hope is that one day it will.
Follow: @heather.gallagher & @lifesaspectrum
Kimberley Cowans | CEO of SKIMDO for Curls
Her Hope:
My hopes for the future of women are that Black and Indigenous women are listened to, believed, and given positions of power in environmental and media sectors all over the world.
Follow: @skimdo
Photo by: Riley Reed
Elaine Almeida | Queer Artist and Scholar
Her Hope:
I am driven by the belief that just, equitable futures for citizens globally is only possible through restorative attention to the feminine archive. Women across the world have been the webs of care and healing that kept their communities, their families, and their bodies safe—history, though, has regulated that knowledge as lesser and “folksy” (as though folks are not each other’s strengths?) Often, our eyes towards history are fixated on the movements and thoughts of men, with women being, if not excluded, then hidden from the archive. This is all the more true for women of color, women with disabilities and women marked “other” by the colonial gaze.
For me, it is not that women should simply master fields that traditionally excluded women, but that the spaces and knowledge that were always considered feminine should be revered and attended to as highly valuable and imperative to the making of our societies. When we can move through our present in ways that honor our past, this I believe creates the most sustainable future for ourselves and others.
Follow: @almeidaagain
Diandra Marizet | Co-founder of Intersectional Environmentalist
Her Hope:
Women have such an immense power when it comes to changing the world around us and I regretfully learned and appreciated this later in life than I would have liked. As I’m molding my adult years now, surrounded by people who have reached a similar place, I realize that we had to do the work to find our value because the world around us tried to skew our importance and validity. Young women today face far greater threats to personal identity and self-esteem thanks to social media, so my hope is that I can leave behind an essence and empowering tools that present the notion of being a woman as incredible for younger generations to realize far sooner than I did.
Follow: @diandramarizet
Shaleiah Fox | Co-Founder of Fresh Chefs Society
Her Hope:
My hope for the future of women is that seeing women in leadership will no longer be an exception, but the norm for future generations to come.
Follow: @freshchefs
Sequoyah Johnson | Founder of the Coy Collection
Her Hope:
I hope that women continue to pioneer and advocate for one another and ourselves. I have learned that all the answers we seek are already inside of us, we just have to use trust as the key to unlocking our true potential. My hopes are that they continue to show up as they are and realize that showing up is more than enough. We are unstoppable when we can trust in our magic.
Follow: @thecoycollection
Photo by: Kristen Beinke Photography
Jill Remy | Owner of Jill & Co. Events
Her Hope:
My hope for the future of women is that they don’t hold themselves back by comparison to others and societal influences, but rather embrace their uniqueness and the potential of their gifts to the world.
Follow: @jillandcoevents
Amanda Lim | Fashion Stylist and Costume Designer
Her Hope:
My hope for the future of women is more: more equality, more respect, a larger platform. We have come a long way made possible by the brave women that paved the way for us. I plan to have an impact on the generations of women who are growing behind me.
Follow: @itsamandalim
Photo by: Megan Baker
Jane Hervey | Executive Director at bbatx & Founder of group work
Her Hope:
I envision a world where women and girls have built their own tables, and there’s plenty of room for us all to sit. I envision a world where women and girls are encouraged to step into leadership, encouraged to experiment and fail, encouraged to become friends and be friends, and encouraged to challenge the patriarchal, racist, and exclusionary legacies of our past. I envision a world where trans women are celebrated, where gender is something we choose to express, where our sex does not determine our right to care, our right to be heard, and our right to be seen how we want to be seen. I have my fingers crossed for that world! I know it’s coming because it has lived and continues to live within many of us now.
Follow: @byjaneclaire, @bossbabesatx, @grpwrk
What is your hope for the future? Sound out below.
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