Today, the 8th of March marks International Women Day (IWD) and I would like to remember amazing women who influence me and with whom I worked with in the past. To thank them for being a part of the Morja community and making our world a little brighter.
But first, let’s remember that IWD is not about giving and receiving flowers and pretty cards; so why and when IWD started?
The day has been designated as an official United Nations observance since 1975, which was International Women’s Year, and is a national holiday in many parts of the world. But the day’s origins go much further back than 1975 — and are more radical than what we might expect from a day so widely celebrated.
The impetus for establishing an International Women’s Day can be traced back to New York City in February 1908, when thousands of women who were garment workers went on strike and marched through the city to protest against their working conditions. “Like today, these women were in less organized workplaces [than their male counterparts], were in the lower echelons of the garment industry, and were working at low wages and experiencing sexual harassment,” says Eileen Boris, Professor of Feminist Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara.
You can read more in the Time article: International women’s day history
When I think about women that influence me, first my mom and my two sisters come to my mind. My closest relatives, my family.
My mother, raised by her amazing mom, with love, kindness and selflessness she spreads it all forward to her children, to us. But even with being hardworking and trying to take care of all things, she still manages to notice the world around. I find it both funny and inspiring, how she stops to observe and really think of what she sees; in this fast moving world, we sometimes forget to stop and just stand, observe. Take it all in, breathe. I remember how she would always tell us when driving in the car to observe nature. It’s still what I love to do. To observe how things are. And be amazed.
As being the fourth child and the third sister, I guess I went through a lot of things easier, having siblings for guidance and support. Even though I didn’t like to be told what to do (as for now also) and I always tried to do things my way, Maja and Ana were my role models. I would and still sometimes do look up to them and even though we all three are so different I’m really happy they are my family.
I’m really grateful for their support; I will never forget Ana encouraging me to start sewing when I was just folding textiles and tieing them around barbies. And how Maja supported me to never doubt my dream of persuading my career in the field of art and design. All when I didn’t know things were possible, they believed in me.
Then there are a bunch of other amazing women, friends, and colleagues who inspire me everyday. Thank you Ema, Ela, Petra, Ana, Maja, Špela, Kresna, Dana, Špela, Monika, Loti, Sara, Hana, Klara, Nadja, Petja, Alenka.
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