Carnations and a pair of tights

 

Suffragettes in Cracow (Poland). Women's Day in 1911.

No joke - carnations and a pair of tights were the traditional gift for International Women's Day in the Eastern Bloc. The governments would make a joke out of that day in order to promote socialist values, praising working women of all professions (that is, teachers, nurses, cleaners, etc) and entirely ignoring the amount of inequality, both in economic and social terms, that was safely going on under the proud slogans of an obligatory holiday. The supposed equality of work status in a deeply patriarchal society meant that many women had to work their asses off in factories, and then come home to make food for their husbands and children and clean the house. Today March 8th is often a day for feminist manifestations, but the work vs. housework ethics are still often very similar (outside the former Easter Bloc as well, I'm sure).

To many women the day is still associated with ghastly school academies or work parties, an atmosphere of forced celebration and false praise, and many, like my mother, refuse to acknowledge the day, preferring to ignore it entirely. (My sister, aged 8, is not happy - for her, March 8th carries no baggage other than a possibility of presents, cake, or other festivity, and that can't be bad.)

I have very mixed feelings - not too traumatized by the regime, but without much emancipated guidance behind me either. Of course, there is also an International Men's Day, so in theory we're even and alright. Both days are great occasion for raising awareness of various issues, such as breast/prostate cancer, discrimination issues, social stereotypes. But 'global celebration for the economic, political and social achievements'? A day to sit back and pat ourselves on the back? I can see how that smells of the fake communist celebrations, telling ourselves we, the humanity, both female and male, are so awesome, and our definitions of success and achievement so coherent and linear, we really need a day off to take it all in. Even in good faith, with such premises, it is bound to become an empty show of numbers confirming we are making Progress, each year increasing the quality of lives around the world. It is, of course, really great to be positive, and to notice positive development. It would just be really great not to get lost in it, and still ask what does it mean to develop, and aim higher.

For the slightly lofty mood that should go with an International Day, I'm posting J.K. Rowling's Commencement Address, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination,” at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association in June 2008. It's old, but it still speaks volumes - to both women and men, of all ages, I believe. Happy International Women's Day.


J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.