What does 8 March mean to you?

Pēdējās atjaunināšanas datums piektdiena, 05/05/2023

8 March has been celebrated as International Women’s Day since the mid-70s and has acquired a variety of meanings since then. Read seven personal reflections of the Day expressed through visual and textual mediums below.

Since the mid-70s, each year on 8 March the world ‘celebrates’ International Women's Day. Nowadays, this event does not only serve as a moment of reflection, but it has also acquired a different meaning for each individual throughout the years. For many, the term “woman” does not fully cover what is brought forward on this day, others feel empowered while some question whether it should be called a celebration. This is why we decided to portray these individual definitions of 8 March by asking FLINTA (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Transgender, Agender) people to give their answers in a photograph with the purpose of inciting us to question ourselves the same.

You are able to do everything

Victoria Faby (23), France

© Victoria Faby, 2023

“8 March is always an incredible day to remind myself that as a feminist, I am not alone in this fight. It’s also a special day thanks to the slogans that allow us to regain our self-confidence”.

Victoria Faby is a French student of art at Les Beaux, in Marseille. Interested in art, theatre, and cinema.

 

A celebration of resistance and sisterhood

Suat (26), Turkey

© Suat, 2023

“For me, 8 March means countless fights for my identity, a billion battles for my existence and all the days stolen from me. 
This photo means that all women and LGBTI+ individuals worldwide act neck in neck against patriarchal society with a sisterhood soul. I want to tell you all, if you're afraid of darkness we are ready to set fire to this world.”

Suat is a trans woman living in a small and conservative city in Turkey. She completed her education in the field of tourism and she is currently an activist for LGBTIQ+ and women’s rights.) in the field of tourism and she is currently an activist for LGBTIQ+ and women’s rights.

 

We are women too!

 Marta (23), Spain

© Marta, 2023

“I claim my power to decide and my rights, which are the same as any other woman's. A disability (in my case temporary due to an illness) should not be synonymous with being less than anyone. In this regard, 8 March is more than a day, it is a symbol of women's struggle, union, and sorority. Together, empowered, and strong, all the women and girls of the world continue walking hand in hand for absolute equality.

Until our rights are respected, our voice is heard and no one is left behind!”

Marta is a 23-year-old Spanish nursing student who has overcome Hodgkin's lymphoma after several years of treatment. She loves spending time with friends, practising sports, and helping others.

 

Braiding the future together

Katia Álvarez Charro (28), India

© Fundación Vicente Ferrer, 2023

“This photograph represents a new generation of women in rural India standing up, claiming their rights and braiding together a future of equality. This image has been chosen because of the girls in it; for their strength, their courage and their togetherness to create an equal generation.

Knowing our rights is the first step in fighting for them. That is why the Fundación Vicente Ferrer’s awareness work prior to economic, social and emotional empowerment in rural India has been helping thousands of women to be the main characters of change in their own communities for more than 50 years. This photo is also a reflection of their passionate work”. 

Katia is a Spanish graduate in journalism, a specialist in communication for development, who works as a humanitarian employee for Fundación Vicente Ferrer in India.

 

The Creator 

Eliza Kozakou (29), Cyprus, based in Brussels 

© Eliza, 2023

“What I love about women is the fact they can create things, and take care of them. No matter how small, no matter how big, they are always in the position to create by putting all their love and affection. Trust them, they know what they do.”

Eliza Kozakou is a Cypriot Youth Worker with a great passion for analog photography. She participated in various Erasmus+ programmes dealing with human rights, activism, environment and peace-building.

 

Corset? Really?  

Betty, (21), Turkey

© Betty, 2023

“Being a woman and an artist in Turkey, I wanted to portray what the concept of beauty and validation reminds me of. The hand pulling the corset symbolizes the overwhelming standards/ social constructs women are being pushed into, while the hand holding the corset tries to figure out whether those standards are things we as women must strip ourselves out of or could be stripped out of the social and/or male validation and be our own enjoyments. 8 March in Turkey always feels like we are fighting against those dilemmas.”

Betty is an English teacher and a hobbyist artist. She comes from a Turkish traditional big family living in a small village although she is currently living in Ankara due to her studies. She enjoys drawing, meeting friends, new people, and teaching.

 

While the light dims our voices shine

Artemis (24), The Netherlands

© Artemis, 2023

“Togetherness. Sharing. Activism. Walking into the sunset ready to take on the world while knowing that a diverse group of like-minded people walk with you, support you, and share your call to action.”

Artemis is a Dutch graduate who is passionate about inequalities and migration and dedicates herself to her activism with the climate group Extinction Rebellion.

 

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Meet the authors Daria Yune Elizarrarás Veenstra, Miriam Rubio Ramírez, and Melike Pala

"My name is Daria Yune and I grew up in a world of contrast. Quite literally. I was born in Mexico City and in 2019 I moved to the Netherlands to study LAS. Raised between two opposite cultures I always felt different per default, no matter the context. Though with time I have also come to appreciate living in the 'inbetween'. The experiences and people in my life have taught me how to constantly find different perspectives in what I do. I have developed a passion for languages and for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. On my spare days you can find me writing slam poetry or organising a climate protest." (Daria)

"I am a young Spanish journalist and internationalist interested in human rights, gender, childhood, and social communication. I have experience in advocating the rights of women and girls with disabilities from an intersectional point of view, and thanks to my volunteering in Romania with the European Solidarity Corps, I have developed new skills related to youth participation. Moreover, I have had the opportunity to work and learn at the UN with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2019 and 2022." (Miriam)

"I am a 23-year-old Journalism graduate from Turkey, currently living in Patras, Greece. Participating in international projects since 18 made me explore the world. I have an experience in online journalism and news writing, thanks to having worked at the faculty newspaper as a reporter for over three years and being in the 2021 UNESCO Youth Newsroom. My internship at Turkey's largest fact-checking organisation helped me gain a wider knowledge of fact-checking methods and media literacy. Politics, social movements, and human rights are my main areas of interest in journalism. My plans for the near future are to do a master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies and do my profession by focusing on this region." (Melike)

 

This article reflects the views of the authors only. The European Commission cannot be held responsible for it.