As most of us know, Sunday was International Women’s Day. Social media was flooded with posts, videos and tweets supporting women, equality and the need for change in order to recognize women in all parts of society.
Celebrities of both genders took to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to show their support. Emma Watson gained the most attention with her speech about gender equality, which aired via Facebook. If you have not already watched the video, by the way, I strongly suggest you do. It’s very motivating and inspirational for both genders.
Other than the celebrities, what caught my attention Sunday was the launch of a campaign titled “No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project.” Hillary Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, created the campaign to bring awareness to the roles women play within society. It suggests women just “are not there yet” when it comes to gender equality. The campaign was taken further when prominent female figures were removed from magazine covers and billboards online and replaced with the words “not there” to show the impact women already have on society.
The campaign is creative and innovative. As a young woman, I support both its cause and its message. But that’s a given. Of course women of all ages are going to support equality and protest for its spread. Of course they are going to participate in campaigns and movements pertaining to rights, wages and protection. The most prominent, powerful women in the world can continue to stand up against this issue. Still: It’s not enough to change society. It helps raise awareness, yes, but until more men decide to support the movement, I do not think society will see much of a change anytime soon.
The #NotThere campaign encourages women to continue their fight for equality. But I think they need to design more campaigns similar to the removal of female images on popular platforms to gain society’s attention. Yes, men and women alike will ask: “Where are the women?” but it needs to be presented to a larger audience.
Men have the opportunity to influence change in society. It’s disheartening to admit, but it’s true. If more prominent men took a stand for gender equality, campaigns like “Not There” would not need to exist.
Don’t get me wrong: A handful of male supporters have courageously showed their support already. Male celebrities like Nick Jonas took to Twitter to show their support with humorous tweets. President Barack Obama is even an advocate for Emma Watson’s website HeforShe.org and its online pledge, which was created for men to sign to show their support for gender equality.
But signatures on a petition are not going to cause the kind of change we need. While their voices help, more actions would too. If an influential man were to give a speech at The Oscars the way Patricia Arquette did about equality of wages, I guarantee an even bigger reaction would result compared to hers. Support for women’s rights, protection, wages, equality and every related issue would increase drastically and immediately.
As a young woman, it is disheartening to have to wait for any results of equality to become public. Yet it’s exciting and moving to watch famous females take a stand for this ongoing issue, and it’s always interesting to see all the new campaigns that come out every so often. But I have realized that, no matter how strategic the campaign or how famous the advocate, a man’s voice plays a significant role in this issue if we want to implement change.
So with that being said: Men, start now. Sign petitions and pledges advocating for gender equality. Let your voice be heard. Recognize women as your equals, not as competition. Support change. Fight for women worldwide, not just in this country — we sincerely need it. Take a stand and help women gain respect because, just like you, we deserve it.
Grace Hudgins is a UF journalism junior. Her column appears on Wednesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 3/11/2015]
