The #WATWB January Edition: No Space for Sexism — #TimesUp

Here it is, the first We Are The World blog event of the year—and my first post of 2018!

In the spirit of the #MeToo and #TimesUp momentum that saw the old year out and the new year in (and shows no sign of abating; a nod of appreciation, by the way, to Casey Affleck for declining to attend the Oscars this year—let alone hand out the statuettes), I thought I'd start off with a brief but potent story about female empowerment. What makes this story special for me is that it doesn't come from Europe or the U.S. This happened in Sri Lanka, of all places. It underlines that this fight against predatory behavior and sexism in general is a global thing, and I believe it's important to highlight these instances, especially when they're successful, because the only way real change will be effected is by keeping those voices coming, loud and clear. Sing it, sisters—and I'll join my voice to yours.

This is the billboard that sparked the controversy in Colombo (Sri Lanka's capital). Yes, I would've been offended by it. But I probably wouldn't have done much about it—aside from boycotting the gym advertised, certainly. If I'd been a member there, I'd have cancelled my subscription. I might even have suggested similar action to a friend or two, if I knew they went there, too. Yes, the gym would've gained a black mark in my book... But that would've been it.

And that's the core of the problem when it comes to sexism, isn't it?


As women, we learn early in life to keep our opinions to ourselves—especially if they're of a belligerent or non-conformist nature. We learn to dismiss the myriad sexist incidents that make us uncomfortable or downright afraid; we learn to protect ourselves, but always discreetly and without rocking the boat. Everything and everyone around us, from pop culture to our closest friends and family, create emphasis on this. This is how the world works. It's always been this way. Nothing we can do to change it.

That may (or may not) be true, but here's what I love about this moment in history: women are refusing, loudly, globally, to remain silent about it. Maybe nothing will change, I mean really change, but just the fact that it's becoming acceptable to speak out is an encouraging sign.

Women in Sri Lanka not only spoke out, they took action. Here's what went down. Sure, it's a far cry from the perfect outcome (the replacement sign put up in protest only stayed in place for one day), but—at least it's happening. There's momentum still.

And it's up to us to keep it going. I don't mean just women; all genders need to participate. This is, after all, a cause for equality, for zero tolerance to discrimination and predatory behavior, for the eradication of objectification culture. And all of us, regardless of gender, stand to benefit from it.

You cannot buy the Revolution. You cannot make the Revolution. You can only be the Revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.
— Ursula K. Le Guin (who, sadly, died this past Monday—but left a plethora of beautiful words behind. A selection of excellent quotes from her books here.)

This post is part of the We Are The World blogfest, a monthly event created by Damyanti Biswas and Belinda Witzenhausen that seeks to highlight positive notes—news, stories, developments, discoveries, progress of all sorts—in an effort to keep at bay the hopelessness and negativity so prevalent in the media. This month I'm helping out as a co-host, together with Shilpa Garg, Simon Falk, Eric Lahti, Lynn Hallbrooks, and Damyanti Biswas. Please take a hop over to visit them; excellent content guaranteed to spark a light in your soul. And if you'd like to join us, write a post about a wonderful bit of news and add your blog here or in the Linky List below. Spread the love, and share the hope!

Thanks for coming by, and have a great weekend :)