“I'm so sick of running as fast as I can. Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man.”
These lyrics from Taylor Swift’s 2020 song “The Man” resonate with girls and women everywhere whose stories have this question woven into their narrative.
Throughout history, society has constantly tried to define what it means to be the “perfect” woman and molded boxes of expectations that women have been pressured to shape themselves into. As social norms have shifted over the years, so has the definition. But the importance placed on living up to these so-called standards and the challenges and implications it causes still exists. Though they remain, the stigmas and misconceptions aren't as blatantly obvious, giving women room to embrace new opportunities created for them by those who came before.
Gone are the days when playing, thinking, acting, and leading like a girl is an insult. This #WomenHistoryMonth THuS Marketing has highlighted the trailblazers of the past and present. These are women who have and are leading the charge against the glass ceiling and introducing ladies to undiscovered worlds of business and marketing possibilities. The search for equality isn’t over. To close the global gender gap alone will take close to another century, but the days of women sitting on the sideline, voiceless, are no more.
In the wise words of Ade Onilude, Founder and CEO of Women in Marketing, “if you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission.” This drive to break free from the cages society has tried to trap women within is a common factor that connects females across generational lines.
Together, women of all backgrounds have joined the march for more—more opportunities, more rights, more representation. Effecting change, overcoming hurdles, and achieving dreams all while defying the expectations societies have written isn’t a one (wo)man show that happens overnight. Rather, the progress made and the heights reached are credited to the cross-generational impact of women coming and working together.
"I believe that if we look backwards, the dots always connect. We were where we were at points in time for a reason,” said LinkedIn's Senior Content Marketing Evangelist Purna Virji, who’s also an award-winning digital advertising and content marketing consultant. The accomplishments of women from our past opened the doors we step through today to pave the path for females to come.
This cycle always continues because, as one viral quote says, “empowered women empower women.” The trailblazing tribe of women in business and marketing helps each other without knowing one another. A win for one woman extends to all, and the end goal of gender equality benefits men and women alike.
Instead of pushing past each other, trying to reach the finish line first, when people can extend their hands to help the next person move forward, it creates a domino effect that provides possibilities for everyone. And when everyone, no matter their background, has the means to reach for their goals, the world benefits.
Today might mark the last day of #WomensHistoryMonth, but women's impact and successes are not confined to a month. They shape our daily lives and the paths we’re on. They inform the future just like they have the past, and they mold each opportunity we're invited to grab hold of.
Here’s to strong women. May we raise them, may we support them, and may we be them. No box or definition could ever restrain what they can achieve.
Happy #WomensHistoryMonth, can't wait to see what we'll celebrate next year!
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