International Women's Day: 007 has never looked so good...

By Stephanie Hubbard



I've just been sent this fantastic video starring Dame Judi Dench and Daniel Craig. Please share with your friends and spread the message this International Women's Day

Inspiring stories from women around the world

by Charlotte Page

If you're anything like me then you spend a bit of your lunchtime browsing the internet for interesting news snippets to read while you have your sandwiches (though I have been mocked and called a geek for this so you may not want to freely admit it). And of course being savvy Thursdays in Black supporters eager to find information on gender equality and keen to celebrate/commiserate for International Women's Day you're looking for something relevant for today.

Well I've saved you the browsing time because Christian Aid have some fantastic inspiring stories from their work with women across the world. Here you will find stories from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Especially worth a listen is the podcast of an interview with Judith Wanga who featured in a BBC Three programme about rape in DR Congo.

And if that wasn't enough inspiring things to fill your lunchtimes for the whole week then I have one more top link to throw your way. www.girleffect.org has a thought provoking animation for your brain to mull over for the rest of the afternoon.

Happy lunchtime reading...

It's International Women's Day, and I'm thinking about men...

by Laura McAdam

and development, to be exact.

As Kofi Annan said, gender equality is the key to development. All NGOs have a gender angle and most projects on the ground will have women's empowerment as a key aim. This is fabulous, and I've seen it for myself. Women who have been previously silenced, ignored, abused or redundant have been given the opportunities and the tools to be part of bettering their communities and building a better future. They have been given pride, escape and healing and this will have an immeasurable impact on the hopes of future generations.

But the more I see, hear and read about conflict zones; regions that have suffered traumatic events and great loss through violence or natural disasters, I start to wonder about the men... I wonder if working with women is an easier, more natural task? You get them together, bond them as a sisterhood, encourage their communication and help them to deal with feelings. You give them skills they have never had and for the first time they have become someone.

For men who have suffered through war, been victims of regimes and themselves been damaged the solution seems less clear. There are swathes of men who are angry and broken, had their purpose, dignity and pride taken from them. They might come from tribal, patriarchial communities whose women are now rising up. I don't think support groups, counselling sessions and sewing lessons would do much for these men.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that development work is all female-centric. Work with youth and whole communties of both genders goes on and is bringing great transformation. But I worry about the angry men. What do we do for them to be part of breaking the cycles of domestic violence, rape and crime?

Thursdays in Black is staunchly about gender equality, and women's rights form just one part - albeit a very big one. But if we don't stand alongside the hurting men we are only tackling half of the problem.

On a final note, bringing my thoughts back to International Women's Day today, I want to celebrate the men who fight for gender equality. Those who courageously and counter-culturally work to improve the lives of women and challenge communities to move towards equality. I believe that these men are not only incredible, but key in reaching the masses of men who need healing and hope, setting a powerful example and putting their necks on the line!

So here's to the men who stand with the women. And to all who have fought and spoken out for the last 100 years.

What difference does wearing black actually make?

by Laura McAdam

I get asked this a lot. People love the idea and then you see the thought seep into their mind, but what good will wearing black on Thursdays actually do?

I guess that people have different reasons and hopes when they take on this kind of ritual. Here are a mine:

Sadly, I know that I need a visible, tangible reminder of all that my eyes have been opened to. Every Thursday, after finding clothes each of complimentary blacks (you'd be amazed how many shades there are...) I remind myself that I'm privileged to have such a choice. As I catch myself in the mirror which prompts me to think how much black washes me out, I'm reminded of the safe and healthy world I live in. Ok, so wearing black isn't the biggest sacrifice nor a painful choice, but it is a nudge in the right direction for me.

When I was in India and heard about this movement, predominantly in the southern hemisphere, I was moved to join with people around the world who quietly, peacefully stand for justice and equality. And when I hear of people who take part in South Africa, Scotland, Sierra Leone and many other places I see the bright side of our globalised world. Furthermore, when you tell a woman in Uganda or Jerusalem that there's a load of people who choose to take a weekly action to remember their cause and stand alongside them, and you see the tears in their eyes as they realise they are not alone... well. Trust me, it makes it mean something.

Finally, it's about the principle. I'm not the most intelligent writer, nor have I individually got much political clout, I don't have enough money to improve the lives of half the world's population and I'm not going to get a chance to do a speaking tour around the world to change hearts and minds any time soon... But add my voice, my pennies and the simple fact of 'knowing' to the tens of thousands of others who give a damn and look, we have a stirring. We have a movement of people who have decided that the way the world works isn't fair and that they must do something, however basic. Occasionally this simple action prompts more and we have some peaceful activitism occurring. And peaceful activism has some form, dontchaknow...

So yes, I'm sure everyone has different reasons and hopes when they do something like this. But this International Women's Day, if I could quietly ask you to do something?

Catch yourself in the mirror. Consider that you're part of something global, and do what you can to stand in solidarity with those fighting for peace and justice. Even if it's just something simple.

And another thing...

And check this out!



Laura

100 Years... and we still need International Women's Day

This Tuesday 8th March will mark the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day.

Are you doing anything to celebrate/commiserate?

Extra blog contribiutions are very welcome. Here's one nicked from the Guardian to get us started...

Laura McAdam

Papers and Peer Pressure

by Susie Burdett

I had thought that I would blog to celebrate the creation of UN Women, the new UN organisation that has taken over operations for gender equality from the previous four organisations of the UN that were once dedicated to women's issues. I was going to talk about some projects, such as Prosperity Candles, or a shelter in Ethiopia, that are some of the positive initiatives occuring in complex political contexts. But then this article, about toilets, worked to combine a few of the random loose threads circling my brain.

Those loose threads can be effectively summed up in the picture at the top of this article.

So how do I get from toilets to Julia Roberts? Well, simple really. The International Development Enterprises (IDE) are trying to improve sanitary conditions in Cambodia and at the same time provide economic opportunities for local businesses. They do this through the somewhat controverisal method of shaming people into using a toilet. Sanitary conditions are a major problem in Cambodia. For the sake of those of a more sensitive constitution, I won't go into detail, but previous attempts to improve conditions by giving toilets away have failed. By shaming people into wanting a toilet, the IDE hopes to create the motivation to use it, and having developed an easy to build model, they have given local businesses a chance to build and sell the toilets, thus increasing economic activities at the same time as improving living conditions.

On the other hand is a photo of Julia Roberts dressed to impress which was widely ridiculed in the press due to the naturally occuring axillary hair clearly on display. Media, whether that be the newspapers, movie (both mainstream and x-rated) makers or magazines, continuely subjected people to images of a a supposed ideal of man and womanhood. Media has helped make plucking, shaving, trimming and shaping of body hair the norm, and have transformed plastic surgery to an aspiration for many seeking this apparent model of perfection, rather than a valuable tool allowing those suffering terrible injuries and disfigurements to lead normal lives.

Whilst I may find a narrow definition of beauty - and indeed the stress on the importance of beauty over other, more practical virtues - uncomfortable and distasteful, I am not actually condemning the beauty industry or the media (and cultural) obsession with celebrity and beauty - I am in no position to cast the first stone. My point is, if media can change the beauty ideal from the hairy men and women found in, say, The Joy of Sex to the plucked, buffed and toned actors, actresses and models we see on film, TV and in magazines, what else could they do?

Media, particularly social media, has been vital to raising awareness of conflict and tragedies around the world - as has been clearly highlighted by the news coming from Tunisia and Egypt, but it has also used peer pressure and shame to inflict and impose a narrow view of gender. It is clear how powerful media is as a force for creating change and raising awareness. How much change could they do for the good if, rather than using shame to inflict one way of being a woman (or man), they celebrated humanity, condemned injustice and encouraged equality? Both the media and the IDE use shame in their tool kit. But what a difference in the results!