I don’t normally celebrate national or international days, unless those days involve eating or drinking… but today I wanted to post about International Women’s Day.

I hadn’t realised until the last few years how important it is to celebrate who you are and the women around you when you’re a woman yourself. To be happy for another woman’s accomplishments and who they are as a person doesn’t mean you’re any less accomplished or less than; it’s an ultimate show of strength. We’re constantly told that life is a competition and that’s bullshit.

Within the last decade I’ve come to know some of the strongest women around. You’ve all been through so much, as have I, and I am PROUD to know and call you friends. You support me in whatever I do, call me on my shit, challenge me and keep me grounded; I’d like to think I do the same for you. You are strong and beautiful, both inside and out. My wish for you, whether we remain friends or not, is that you continue to be strong women throughout your lives. Keep on being absolute badass babes!

Showing faith in and celebrating other women isn’t only a sign of strength but a MUST. Sure, we have a lot more freedoms than we did in the past. For women in first world countries fighting for freedoms isn’t much, if at all, of an issue. But for women and girls still pushed to the back, treated as property, having acid thrown on them and being sold into slavery, it is a HUGE issue and problem that still exists.

For not only today, but everyday, I celebrate and fight for all women, and I challenge you to do the same. Let us celebrate ourselves and others. Whether you know a woman, are a woman or identify as a woman, praise and be proud of yourselves and others, for what you’ve become and how far you’ve gotten in life. We women can, have and will continue to, accomplish anything!