8M - 8 women that inspire me

Today is 8M, an important day for anyone identifying as a woman.

There are so many times women are still repressed. Looked down. Taken for granted. Mistreated. There are so many fights to be fought yet.

But, while being aware of the reality and difficulties, a while ago I made a choice for my mental health to pay more attention to the bright side.

So I have decided to use this day to reflect on the women around me in real life or in Social Media. Trying to understand which ones I look up to, make me feel jealous, proud, emotional...

The ones who make me reflect and who I like to talk about with friends.

And I am so grateful to be surrounded by such amazing women that inspire me every day.

So I want to share these stories so maybe they will inspire you to also reflect on the women in your life. Maybe even those ones that inspired you years ago, that you still think about, but you never even knew their names.

My great-aunt

At first, she would seem like an old Spanish lady, who goes to church every Sunday, never married, never been with a man, and has her house full of images of Christ.

And all of that was true.

But she also had a job her whole life during a time when women usually were not part of the workforce (she was born in 1929). She played golf with her girlfriends and, through golf tournaments, she traveled Europe. Also during a time when traveling was not so easy, let alone in a dictatorial Spain, and let alone as a woman.

She always told me stories about traveling with her girlfriends, and about her passion for golf. But, unfortunately, I was too young to fully understand. Now, saving the distances, I see a lot of her in me. Like I am exploring the parts of the world that she couldn't.

Woman on the train

I was waiting to board the delayed train from Barcelona to Valencia and there was this foreign woman trying to find her passport. She was carrying a bag about theatre improv, a ukelele, and a small luggage. She found her passport, she was from the USA.

How did she end up there on the same train as me?

A little bit later she offered me some snacks and we started talking. She had been living in Valencia for university when she was 20, many years ago she said. And now she had a friend from Mexico living in Valencia so she was visiting for the first time since she was 20. Her Spanish was really good, she had been living in Mexico when Covid happened. And now she was exploring other cities to see if she would like to move there and leave the States for a while.

It was a random little short moment, but it left me daydreaming and hoping I will be like her when I'm older.

My grandma

The first two things that pop up in my mind are spirituality and fashion.

My grandma has been told that she dresses "too colorful" for her age, or she has been judged for not wearing black nowadays even though her husband died 25 years ago. And yet, she keeps wearing whatever she wants. She doesn't let anyone put her down. She was a sewer, so she's always been around fashion, no wonder where I get my curiosity about fashion and sewing from.

But also, I love how she is a beautiful mix of religion and modern life. She lives her religion deeply while deeply respecting other people's beliefs or lifestyles. I have never been asked once when will I get married, or if I will have kids. Or for example, I have only done one pregnancy test in my life, and it was her the person I reached out to when I was struggling with the decision of buying it or not. I didn't feel judged about any decision I would have had to make but warm and safe.

Mom

My mom is pretty badass.

I might get from her having a hundred different interests: she plays theatre, dances, sews, she loves being with people, teaching, writing, and being silly and laughing around.

But it was also super inspiring seeing her studying for a Master's Degree a couple of years ago while she was in her 50s, working full-time and taking care of a house.

What is even cooler?

That she studied Intervention and Prevention of Gender Violence so she could be more helpful to women in the region. AND she actively participates in a local group focused on helping LGTBQI+ people from neighboring towns. AND she helps her co-workers with union-related issues in the workplace.

I wish one day I can be half as helpful to my community as she is to hers.

Saudi women

In January I went to Saudi Arabia and it was one of my trips with the strongest cultural shock.

It was hard seeing all these amazing, smart, professional women walking around with no identities. Not only they did not show their face, but they could also not express themselves through clothing as they wear just black. But if you look closely and pay attention to the details, you start noticing in the small things how they are trying to show their personalities.

Despite the cultural pressure they face, we met some badass women showing their faces, showing their hair risking their relationships with their families. Women owning their businesses. Having lived abroad.

It was very inspiring to see those women trying to navigate this society (so strict and foreign to my eyes) on their own terms and individuality.

My closest friends

Well, I know this is also technically not just one woman. But they are all f*cking awesome.

My friends are musicians, some more casual and some pursuing their dream of singing in a band. They are artists, some freelance, and some make Disney movies. They know what they want and they work hard until they get there (which is something incredible to see for someone like me who feels lost all the time). My friends are conscious, they care about the planet each one in a different way, about different cultures, and about themselves.

They can talk about mental health, career, dating, growing up, starting a family, art, podcasts, cat videos, or Bud Bunny. I just looove the conversations with my friends.

I have learned so much from them, and I love seeing them grow, evolve and pursue their dreams. And that inspires me to do the same.

Lexi - Daub+Design

I was looking for a "Production Assistant" job (meaning in the Film Industry) when I saw Lexi's job ad for a Studio Production Assistant for a local activewear brand. It wasn't the kind of Production Assitant job I was hoping for, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to know more about the fashion industry.

And it was! It was so cool seeing her business from the inside 👀 learning about her project, techniques to hand-dye, patterns, different fabrics, how to organize the stock, seeing the garments displayed in the shows...

But more than anything else, it is inspiring to see her and her brand evolve. I love how close she is to her customers, how she explains everything in detail, how it was an online store with a small studio and now it is an online AND physical store. Despite how busy she was, she always made time to hang out with me and for deep conversations.

Coffee shop regular customer

In a coffee shop I was working there was this regular customer. She was a bit older than my parents and used to come almost every day, always smiling and with such beautiful energy.

One day, I think it wasn't even me who was talking to her, I think it was one of my teammates, but we found out she had done a tubal ligation when she was in her mid-20s.

I would have assumed it would be something extremely difficult to get at the time (the 70s-80s I guess?), but also the fact that she was my age when she did it. I've always been one to say I don't want to have children, and yet, it blew my mind that she was able to make that decision at my age. I really envy people who are truly sure of the decisions they make, that they are certain of what they need or want.

She said it was just easy for her because she just had no doubts about it before doing it or at the moment of doing it, and she never regretted it later on. I still think about her often.

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I hope these stories made you think about the special women in your life and maybe inspire you to write about them and actively reflect on them 💛