For centuries women have faced discrimination and oppression just for being born a woman. There have been countless protests, fights, and activism for equality between the sexes. 

At the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848,  groups of women rallied together to fight for the equality of women. This has been considered the beginning of the first wave of feminism and has completely shaped the movement to what it is today. 

As the movement grew, 1920 and 1965 became pivotal moments in history not just for women and people of color as well. In 1920, the 19th amendment became set and stone into our Constitution and gave women, not all, the right to vote. 

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 granted black women the right to vote including all people of color. 

The Feminist Movement began to shift culture into a safe place that encouraged and gave women the right to own property, vote, work, and have equal opportunity compared to men. 

However, misogyny still completely exists and is prevalent in many ways, specifically when it comes through a woman’s upbringing.

Being a woman has been a privilege I have learned to love and appreciate. There is beauty in my femininity and grace that I wish I appreciated not only in myself but in women sooner. 

Growing up from being a young girl to a woman is a journey that has so much power in itself. However there are so many double standards and contradictions towards becoming a woman that can overshadow that power.

Going from a little girl to a teenager is a big transition already. When puberty hits you are trying to understand who you are, what you are, who you like. You’re trying to understand your emotions and body. 

When the menstrual cycle begins for a woman there are so many thoughts and feelings hitting you at once. There is already such a terrible stigma on periods. 

So it is very contradictory when it is said, “You’ve started your period, you are a woman now!” But as soon as a woman voices their concern about something or shows their emotions in a way of trying to understand them it is an immediate shut down saying she’s too emotional, and it must be that time of week again. 

They teach us, educate us, and tell us to be smart when we are alone, but when an accusation comes around the corner it is immediate victim blaming. And once someone is held accountable they call the victim a liar. 

They tell us to start acting and making decisions like adults do, but once we voice our opinion or go against what they agree with we are suddenly not old enough to understand and that it is an “adult” issue. 

There are instances where men will do something that is the complete bare minimum and get recognition for it. But in order to get any praise or recognition a woman must do above and beyond. 

We have to shout with our voices in order to be heard in a room. Dress codes censorize and limit our creativity in our self-expression, while boys can wear what they want with little to no punishment.

All these contradictions and standards can be so confusing for a young girl who is blossoming into a young woman. I have felt lost in finding my own femininity and would always ask myself, what makes me a woman?

I am not here to answer that for you, as that is your journey to discover. What I will say is, being a woman is so much more. We are peacemakers, we are fighters, we are workers, we are mothers, we are activists, we’re our heritage and we are alive and exist. 

There is power in our voices, minds, and our hearts, we just have to find it. Our history is a reminder of our courage and influence.

So to all the young girls and women, Happy Women’s History Month! You are seen, heard, and loved.