Happy International Women's Day!

What a happy occasion it is today!

Happy International Women’s Day to our strong tribe of Zahara Warriors!

We are so happy to have built a community of empowered and strong women.

This year we’d like to dedicate a tribute to some of the amazing women today and in history.

Over the past week, we have shared some women on our Instagram, who have impacted the world through their works and their philosophies. Here are some of them.

Maya Angelou:

A poet, writer and activist, there are so many brilliants words to describe one of the most fantastic women to have walked this planet.

Through her autobiographies, she shared her experiences as a young black woman living in the south. There she learnt about race, identity, family and of course the pains of growing into womanhood.

Having studied her autobiography ‘I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings’ it was clear to see that she did not have a comfortable upbringing. It was through her difficulties and her past experiences which allowed her to expand her perspectives of life and people. Ultimately, another lesson to learn would be - it’s never too late to make a change that you want in your life.

Her grit and determination to improve her surroundings for her family and live a better life was something she struggled with and persevered. Another lesson along the way is to not be ashamed of the life and past that you had.

As Maya Angelou said -

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”

Rupi Kaur:

 

She is our modern day Zahara Warrior. Rupi was raised in Canada after her parents emigrated the family from India. She had a humble start to her career by posting her wonderfully succinct poetry on Tumblr. Her topics explored the themes of love, relationship, women, and growing up as an outsider who could barely speak English when she was first moved to Canada.

Since then, she has been actively supporting women’s rights by her publication of controversial images under a piece entitled ‘The Period’. This series of images and prose explored the side of menstruation which has mostly been swept under the rug or labelled too inappropriate to discuss.

This is an extract of one of Rupi’s entries in her book ‘milk and honey’

“i want to apologize to all the women i have called beautiful

before i’ve called them intelligent or brave

i am sorry i made it sound as though

something as simple as what you’re born with

is all you have to be proud of

when you have broken mountains with your wit

from now on i will say things like

you are resilient, or you are extraordinary

not because i don’t think you’re beautiful

but because i need you to know

you are more than that”

― Rupi Kaur, 2014, milk and honey

Ellen Degeneres

 

Credit: AMPAS

The famous talk-show host gone through her fair share of trials and tribulations in life. Today she is one of the important representitives for the LGBT+ community. Her through her impactful tevelsion series, she is able to shine a light on many issues plagued by a community of people who struggle to voice their concerns. Additionally, she contributes generously to many deserving charities as a way to further their mission and bring about change in the world today. Plus, she definitely knows how to put a smile of everyone’s face!

Check out this tribute to Ellen in 2016.

Oprah Winfrey

 

She definitely needs no introduction she had one of the longest-running television talk-show which spanned nearly over 3 decades. She is the first black woman to have this achieved this accomplishment. A philanthropist and advocate for women, she was also good friends with another impactful human being, Maya Angelou.

Like her friend, Angelou, Winfrey too faced her share of difficulties with poverty, family relationships and abuse. Her motivation to grow from her situation was what fueled her desire for a better life and soon began her journey into the field of media and production.

Today she is a successful entrepreneur and is one of the most influential women in the world.

Michelle Obama

 

She a good friend of Oprah Winfrey. Having met during her husband, Barack Obama’s presidential run in 2007, the two became close friends as Winfrey rallied for Obama’s place in the white house as America’s first black president and first lady.

During her time as the First Lady, Michelle Obama had contributed greatly to raising awareness for women’s rights and many other causes such as the LGBT+ group. She’s a forward-thinking change maker who has miles to go with her ambitions to make the world a better place.

Here are some words of wisdom from Michelle Obama herself. These are valuable words that we as a society of women should heed.

“Women, in particular, need to keep an eye on their physical and mental health, because if we're scurrying to and from appointments and errands, we don't have a lot of time to take care of ourselves. We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own 'to do' list.” - Michelle Obama

 

With that, we close this amazing week of wonderful women! We hope that by sharing the stories of these amazing women help motivate and inspire you to carve your own path to success be in your relationships, family, career.

In celebration, we have dedicated this entire bundle to our amazing Zahara Warriors - the What Women Want set. This entire set features three different colours of nail polish the represent three key moments in every woman’s life.

First Snow - the early childhood of growing up and learning many important life lessons. We felt white is a true reflecting of us as blank canvases, slowing painting a sublime picture of our life.

Athena - the elegant and demure side all of us women should groom and take care of. Zahara believes that a complementary nude reflects our feminine yet classy side. Being the primary carers of our family, we have the ability to nurture and provide affection to our loved ones.

#LadyBoss - a shade that truly represents a woman’s grit, determination and power. This is the perfect shade for all you go-getters out there! We are always in awe with the strength our sisters have shown throughout the years. These women are a testament to that strength and power.

Be sure to spread the love today and rejoice at how far we have come as a society! 

Happy International Women's Day with love from Zahara!

 

 

 

(Written by Luxmee Sabapathy)