Women are progressing, whether you like it or not

There is a special wall in the corner reserved for women to stand against, if they choose to defy ideas about their relevance, their truthfulness or their place in the world.

Anyone who dares to claim that spot immediately falls under the umbrella term ‘angry feminist’.

Though the title bothers no one who stands for human rights, it’s an effectively popular smear phrase that attempts to nullify the efforts of activists and writers who work to breach social parameters.

The feminist movement signified the start of the emancipation of an entire population, and was initially and unsurprisingly met with vehement push-back.

See,  50 years later, it’s interesting, and a very special kind of sad, to see that our stance has not evolved greatly from a position of defence.

One only needs to look at the face of Google to understand that education and privilege has never yet inoculated the entitled against ignorance.

I suppose by now we all hoped we would have moved onto a highway of progression – that by now we’d be speaking predominantly about how we can allow the principles of gender equality to inform policy, law and public opinion.

Instead, more than 50 years later, we find ourselves still arguing why gender equality is important.

The talk does matter. Public discourse is essential in changing perceptions, and backlash is part of all social progression.

However, what matters more is seeing evidence of the change that you stand for. What matters is showing, in real-time, what the results of equality are.

The Women in the World Summit (#WITW2014) is an event that does just this; showcasing the world’s movers and the shakers when it comes to the women empowerment, and why we all should stand for it.

Why does the Summit Matter?

Because it stands apart with a sincere kind of conviction in a world where feminism isn’t just a concept – it’s a verb.

As much as I will defend the importance of writing about inequality till my last breath, the dangers of slacktivism still soils the edges of the scroll.

This event is testament to the real world changes of taking action. It’s a testament to why it’s important to recognise those that commit their lives to betterment of their community

Redefining Celebrity

The Mileys and the Kims and the Lady Gagas are our generation’s point of reference when it comes to celebrity.

Gone are the Pink Floyds, the message of Woodstock and the sounds of Imagine.

We live in a brand new world in which the content of our hopes and dreams can be measured by our vested interest in Vogue’s new Kimye cover.

This summit is one of those few events where celebrity is directly proportional to being extraordinary or talented.

And as much as the internet and Jezebel explode every time Jennifer Lawrence talks about food again, I still think celebrity is a darn waste.

Because as far as being extraordinary goes - as per the WITW2014 – there are more than enough people worthy in this world to choose from:

A woman named Khalida Brohi, who crusades against ‘honour killings’ in Pakistan, travels to remote villages to confront these violent men and implores them to consider education for their daughters. Hardcore.

Haimara Bachal started a school to reform and counsel children who have been subjected to gruesome violence in Pakistan, and teaches them about acceptance and compassion. I reckon that’s awesome.

Eesha Kare got annoyed that her phone kept dying, so developed an advanced technology that would allow her to charge her phone in less than one minute.

The first-ever all-female all-Muslim UN Peacekeeping force was interviewed by Jon Stewart, which is one of the newest manifestations of women standing up for peace and reconciliation.

Neema Namadu founded ‘Hero Women of the Congo’ and partnered with World Pulse to connect women in her country and to help them find their voice.

These guys have balls. And these guys are the people who should be celebrated.

The story in the summit

It’s important to understand, though the average Women24 troll is violently allergic to ideologies that differ from his, that the world has moved on to bigger things.

It’s important to understand - between cigar-smoking sophomoric wankers on Twitter, the spectacularly banal vitriol of the anonymous Dickwad261, and that dude who thinks that ‘slutty’ is a neurobiological term for all free women except his mother (bless his socks) – that there are real people doing colossal things in the real world.

Things that matter, that have impact.

Things that will substantiate the importance of gender equality more than words ever will.

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