International Women's Day 2021
• JonRichard
International Women's Day is a great moment to reflect on and celebrate women. Whether that be family, friends, colleagues, ones we look up to or even reminding ourselves of our own achievements and successes. We are proud to be part of a business that is run by strong, independent and passionate women who continue to prove their dedication and commitment to the brand and also to one another. Each season we are committed to creating affordable jewellery collections that are perfect for empowering women every day, at every age and stage of their lives.
As a company, we have been so lucky to be surrounded by empowered women, whether this is in our own offices or the women that have helped share our brand. We recently caught up with a few of our favourite influencers that champion female empowerment.
Terri Georgina is a freelance bridal hairstylist and a Mum from Yorkshire. Here’s what she has to say about International Women’s Day
‘Becoming self-employed in bridal hair was a massive leap especially having a newborn son thrown into the mix, I'm very proud of my accomplishments although working in the wedding industry during covid has been incredibly stressful but I have continued to be creative and know that one day I will be back doing what I love.
A female icon doesn’t always have to be someone you see on the cover of a magazine, to me it’s someone much closer to home my step-mum, Sian. She inspires me every day, she opened her own hair salon 32 years ago at the age of 27 with a 2-year-old, she is now helping me with my son so I can pursue my own dreams, and be as successful as I can be in everything I do!
I'm proud of how far I have come in my own career and the journey of being a mum, I’m so extremely proud of the female support network I'm surrounded by, they are the women that pushed and motivated me every day to carry on even when I felt like giving up! From that one like on social media post to an hour-long phone call, these are the woman that makes us who we are should be recognised!
Today is a chance for us all to celebrate how far we have come, down the path that others have struggled to pave the way for us and to keep striving forward for our daughters' future. It’s also a day to sit and reflect on those women that are living in different countries with far less female rights and to help to fight to change this.’
For beautiful bridal hairstyle inspiration, you can follow Terri Georgina on Instagram here or on Facebook here!
We have recently loved following Linda from @Behindthewomen on Instagram. She is a breath of fresh air to have on your Instagram feed. She proves every day that your age doesn’t define you! She lives in Cornwall with her husband, and has one fabulous daughter and a crazy dog. Here’s what she had to say when we asked her some questions about International Women’s Day!
‘There are so many female icons that inspire me! Here’s a sample: Michelle Obama becoming who she is, Judi Dench for still doing what she does, Kris Hallenga @howtoglitteraturd and founder of @coppafeelpeople for using her stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis (at 22) to tell every woman to check their breasts, (with her equally fabulous twin, Maren), Jacinda Ardern for being human, keeping COVID out of New Zealand and just running the country perfectly, with grace and humanity.
I believe every woman should have a voice, opportunity and education. Women need to be decision-makers as well as participants. Women are wonderful, women are people ….and for me, International Women's Day means informing and teaching the wider world how great we are.
I’m proud of the respect I’ve earned through my work, I’ve spent the last 30 years working within the hairdressing industry for a large salon group and professional product brand, but I’ve also been a makeup artist. I’m proud of creating a happy and lovely home and I’m proud of skiing the Vallee Blanche (The summit of Mont Blanc down into Chamonix)!
To help other women to pursue their dreams we need to start with culture - Cultural changes need to happen in the home and in every country to enable women to get the right education and opportunities. Importantly women need to be given the chance to see what they can achieve, and how they can reach their goals.’
For a daily dose of positivity follow Linda on Instagram here! She also recently reviewed some of our beautiful Mother's Day jewellery on her blog which you can read here.
Emms from beautifuleveryday_uk is a content creator, Entrepreneur and Mum from London. She has created the hashtag #neverknowinglyunderdressed which inspires women to be bold with their fashion choices! This is what she said when we asked her about International Women’s Day!
‘Although I grew up in a culture that valued boys more than girls in general, I was encouraged to believe in myself and raised with a ‘can do’ attitude. I took charge of my life from an early age. Excelled academically, emigrated on my own to a foreign country and eventually set up my own company after a successful career in international sales.
In the 21st century, women around the world are still fighting for not only equal rights but for basic human rights, equal pay, and against injustice and discrimination. IWD helps highlight these issues and raises women's voices.
Although it would be too easy to list my own achievements, but actually being a mother to my son and raising him to respect women has to be what I am most proud of.
I would like to see that whatever their circumstances girls are given equal opportunities to education and advancement and are allowed to believe in themselves. Nothing can change until women feel empowered to stand up for themselves.'
If your Instagram feed needs an Injection of colour and positivity follow Emms here!
Chenai is currently a third-year university student due to graduate this year not only with a BA honours degree but two Dean Awards for consistent academic excellence which is something to be very proud of, she has also started creating content on her Instagram ‘withlovechenai'. Here is what International Women’s Day means to her:
‘Other than focusing on academia, I have recently taken up content creating to keep myself occupied amid a global pandemic which leads into why International Women's Day (IWD) is so important to me. As I am relatively a newbie to content creation, I have come across so many inspiring women empowering other women to live a purposeful life. A key example is women like Chanel Ambrose helping other women re-discover their love for fashion, self-worth and body confidence, or like Malala supporting young girls to actively tackle various issues that impact their rights to education.
With that being said March the 8th is a day I eagerly look forward to celebrating each year because I mean, how often do we get to commemorate women across the globe and all their extraordinary achievements. This is especially as we are a group that can be held with less regard in society. IWD to me is not only about celebrating the women who inspire me but also about celebrating myself as a woman and acknowledging how I am continually evolving with the ultimate goal of becoming self-actualised within myself. When I think of women who inspire me, my mother gets the spotlight this year as my number one female icon.
She has shaped who I am today; she has taught me how to work hard, how to be kind, how to be respectful, how to be grateful and how to be resilient especially as a black female. Without her active presence in my life, I doubt I would have an understanding of the important aspects of womanhood, which personally for me includes valuing and nurturing my femininity and knowing how to stand up for my rights as a woman. Happy International Women’s Day one woman to another, always remember your power to uplift and inspire other women is much greater than you could ever imagine. A small act of kindness can make all of the difference.’
We’d highly recommend following Chenai not only does she create beautiful photos but she is also such a positive presence online follow her here!
Katie is a content creator and blogger from West Sussex. She creates content that is s very colourful and seasonal with a focus on retro &, whimsical fashion and cosy aesthetic lifestyle. She lives with chronic illnesses and showcases that you can have a full and positive lifestyle whilst still raising awareness for her condition. Her goal has always been to create a positive community of like minded people as well as helping to provide some escapism!
For me International Women's Day is all about empowering women and celebrating all the females in our lives and their achievements. Whilst also looking towards the future and the steps we need to take to achieve full gender equality.
'I feel like Taylor Swift is a true icon of my generation. I admire not only her musical talent and song writing abilities but her incredible resilience in the face of negativity, her kindness and for standing up for artists to have the right to own their own work in the music industry.
During the first lockdown last spring I started hosting a virtual movie night called #AKCinema on Instagram every Sunday night at 7pm (UK time) with my friend Abi. We host it for our audiences to join in with as a way of making people feel less lonely and that they can still have their ‘cinema nights’. I’m so proud that I t’s been going almost a year now and has a lovely community feel. It remains one of the highlights of my week!
I’d like to see every woman knowing their worth and being valued for what they have to offer in all areas of life. Something I am really passionate about is supporting other women and treating one another with kindness & respect, not tearing each other down. I have no room for hate or negativity. '
We'd highly recommend following Katie, she brightens our feed with her content and her positivity!
Another content creator we have been loving this year is Ellie Earl, a Fashion and Lifestyle Blogger from Brighton! With a background in Musical Theatre and a growing Instagram platform here’s who inspires Ellie every day:
‘My first female icon is Ariana Grande. I think she is one of the strongest women in the public eye, she’s been through so much in the past few years and is still smiling and creating music her fans love. She also gives back so much to her fans.
Another female icon of mine is my sister. She suffered a nearly 10-year battle with anorexia and has come out the other end better than ever. She is the strongest woman I know and is currently expecting her first baby! She's going to be an amazing mum. The changes I'd like to see for women to pursue their dreams would definitely be a more body-positive world. This has improved massively over the last year or two but there's still so far to go. I think a lot of women, including myself have held back from doing something because of body insecurities and whilst we as women can’t cure each other’s insecurities we can make sure everybody is doing everything all they can to empower their fellow women and make it known to them that we are all beautiful, no matter what shape or size we are and that we should take absolutely every opportunity to achieve our dreams that we can!’
Make sure you follow Ellie Here!
We have also spoken to the anonymous blogger and content creator behind PINKSERENITYx: a modest fashion and lifestyle blog. She started her blog in 2018, as a motivational milestone and a creative outlet to fuel her love for styling clothes and photography whilst enjoying the rollercoaster journey of her degree.
‘When it comes to female icons I could go on and on. Generally, I would go for Michelle Obama, Jacinda Ardern and Princess Diana. But as a fashion & content creator, I am constantly inspired by Lydia Elise Millen, Patricia Bright and Victoria Magrath from InTheFrow.’
Today,
I would love to see more focus on female personal development and improvement. I truly believe that when women can focus their energy on positivity and have a certain mindset which they can (to some extent) control they’ll be able to pursue all their dreams!’
To join the PINKSERENITYx Online community follow here!
Abbie, 24 years old, from Cambridgeshire and the founder of the blog and Instagram, Cheerfully Live. She lives with her husband Ben & her cat Luna. An avid tea drinker, cat lover & loves doing anything creative - from scrapbooking, to baking, to photography. She was also diagnosed with severe Endometriosis in May 2019 and has recently under-gone excision surgery to help treat some of my pain and symptoms.
' As March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, I thought I would tell you a little bit about what Endometriosis is. It is a debilitating and painful disease which is where the tissue similar to the lining of the womb, grows outside the womb. 1 in 10 women (or people assigned female at birth) live with Endometriosis, yet there is so little understanding or education about it - there is no steadfast understanding on what causes it and there is no cure!
Some of my female inspirations are people on Instagram who speak out about important topics, such as Lottie (@lottiedrynan) who shares openly about living with IBS, Jess (@jesskbacon) who shares honestly about grief and the challenges in adulthood and Megan (@themeganedit) who shares all about body acceptance and confidence. I am also inspired and motivated by the wonderful people in the Endometriosis community - their strength, resilience and honesty is so valuable and important in raising awareness for this awful illness!
To me, it means celebrating the amazing women around me, reminding them of why they are important members of society, encouraging them to speak out and share things they are passionate about and just being authentically themselves! I love to write cards to women around me, sharing all the things I love and appreciate about them!
I’ve been most proud of myself when I’m sharing my story, speaking out about Endometriosis and being an advocate for myself and many other women! I’ve had many opportunities through my Instagram @cheerfullylive to share about living with Endometriosis - such as through a live radio interview, working with brands that align with my values and sharing my story and advice on Endometriosis UK. I’m also so proud to share that I am an ambassador for both Endometriosis UK and Invisiyouth, which are two amazing charities who do so much great work for people living with Endometriosis/chronic illnesses!'
Make sure you follow Abbie here - her positive outlook is great to see everyday on your Instagram feed!
We hope these stories of what International Women's Day means to these women leave you feeling as inspired and empowered as they did us. We'd love to hear what International Women's Day means to you - let us know on Instagram or Facebook on our #IWD post or in the comments below!
