International Women’s Day: The Now Generation of Women Must Rise Without Shame

Image Credit, Geralt

International Women’s Day was never meant to be just a celebration—it was born out of struggle, defiance, and an unwavering demand for equality. It began with working women demanding fair pay, the right to vote, the right to be heard, and the right to exist without being defined by men. It started because women were tired of being told to wait, to be quiet, to be less. It started because the world had no intention of recognizing the power of women until they forced it to.

And today, we need that spirit more than ever, but for a new reason. The battle for women’s rights has shifted. In some ways, we have come so far. Women lead nations, drive economies, and shape societies. But in other ways, we are watching the world move backward—so much so that even saying you were born as a woman has become controversial. Women, especially young women, are being told that to embrace their womanhood is to be exclusionary. That to recognize the unique experiences of being biologically female is somehow outdated, even offensive. That to take pride in the ability to create life, to endure what only women’s bodies endure, is something to downplay, to be ashamed of, or to surrender to a new era of ambiguity.

No.

This generation of women—the young women coming of age right now—must be reminded that they are not just the future, they are the now. Their contributions do not start when they reach a certain level of financial success, when they hold a particular job, or when society deems them ‘ready’ to lead. They are shaping the world already. They are athletes breaking records, activists driving change, scientists making breakthroughs, entrepreneurs rewriting the rules, and artists redefining culture. Their voices matter today, not just in some distant future when they are deemed experienced enough to be taken seriously.

Yet, despite these incredible contributions, young women are still told that the world belongs to men. That their achievements are secondary. That their presence in leadership, in innovation, in influence is the exception, not the norm. And even more dangerously, they are now told that even their most fundamental experiences—having a menstrual cycle, carrying life, enduring the unique realities of a female body—are things that should be erased, rewritten, or ignored.

This is not progress. This is another form of silencing.

To those who identify as women in whatever way they feel is right for them, there is space in this world for you. But today, on International Women’s Day, we are here to recognize and uplift biological women—without apology, without shame, without hesitation. Women who face a world that still tells them to shrink. Women who are told to accept that their spaces, their safety, their rights are secondary. Women who are told that advocating for themselves makes them problematic, outdated, or exclusionary.

No more.

The younger generation of women must be encouraged to rise, not just in the boardroom or on the global stage, but in the most personal, fundamental way possible—by embracing themselves without shame. They must know that success is not measured only in financial gain but in the courage to exist as they are. That their power does not need validation from any system or ideology that seeks to redefine their very essence. That they do not need to ask permission to be proud of their womanhood.

International Women’s Day is not just a day of celebration; it is a reminder. A reminder that women—young women—are not waiting for their turn to matter. They already do. They always have. And they always will.

The world is vast enough for everyone, but today, we celebrate without compromise. Biological women, young and old, past and present, who have carried the world on their backs and asked for nothing but the space to exist in their own truth. That space will not be given. It must be taken. And today, we take it.

For G.L