After thousands of years and all the progress of the world, women are still the most discriminated group. This sadness my heart, because most of the bravest people I know are women, and much of their bravery goes unseen. 
Photo by: www.bravegirlsclub.com
In current events, this past week, I watched the twitter feeds about a woman asking not to work with a man who allegedly raped her. (see #FreeKesha) A judge ruled she must continue to work with this man.
This is a fresh example of discrimination of our world and the bravery of women. I don’t doubt there will be women who see this happening to Kesha and lose hope, regarding their own situations.
How do we change a world that abuses women, kills them, pays them less because of their sex, judges their work quality of work base solely on their sex, calls them name because of their physical appearance, are sold as slaves, are cat called because they are a women, are idolized for their physical bodies and disrespected at the same time, and so much more.
Why is the world still like this when it should have changed by now?
Maybe it’s because women have more power than they realize, but women are part of the problem because they’ve let all the horrors committed against us convince us we don’t have any value or we are worthless. Thus many women feel they have no power. A lie that comes in so many forms, taking roots in the heart of many women as children or young adults.
For myself, I was abused as a kid and I believed I was broken because of it. It took years for me to over come that lie. What happened to me shouldn’t happen to any child, but sadly there are over six million reports of child abuses a year. I myself can think of four people I know personally who were abused as children and it was never reported. No wonder we live in a broken world.
Step 1: Convince a girl she’s worthless (any lie will do)
Step 2: She believes she’s powerless
Step 3: She lives her life as a wounded woman never to fulfill her true potential
Step 4: Repeat
Somewhere between Step 2 and Step 3 is where women usually have numerous choices to cast away that lie and believe the truth.
My favorite line in the film LABYRINTH is at the end when SARAH shouts to the GOBBLIN KING the truth.
Yet so many women are living their lives giving things power over them like comparing themselves to other or chase the next beauty treatment, or you name it. It’s time to set yourself free.
In my novel, THE LAST ORDER, the main character LANA CREW carries a sword, but that’s not what makes her brave. Her bravery comes from rising up against the injustice in her world and fighting for the people who can’t fight for themselves. She’s certainly a brave fictional personality.
Another brave fictional character that comes to mind is ANNA from FROZEN. Anna doesn’t carry a literal sword, but she has her own weapon, love for her sister ELSA.
Fictional characters are great because many of us can identify with them, and watch them overcome their world and win their battles, but even better are real brave women.
The first ones that come to mind are Mother Teresa, Margret Thatcher, Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks. These are just a few.
ARE YOU TIRED OF GIVING UP?
Then all these unknown women come to mind. The bravery of a mother who cares for her handicap child into their adulthood, sacrificing her personal needs for theirs. The abused woman that leaves the abuser to start a new life. The slave who escapes, risking their very life for freedom. The mother who decides to balance a career and her family despite judgments of those around her. The mother who doesn’t choose a career. Countless women who’ve share their stories of overcoming abuse. It’s not what you do it’s the bravery that it takes to overcome and sometimes the smallest choice takes the most bravery.
By no means does this blog even really start to address what is happening with women, but I hope it’s a start to a bigger conversation. Women need to join together. One of our worst problems is division.
Now, it’s time to start being brave! Here’s the challenge. I like you to tell the world about the brave women in your life. It can be a fictional person or a real person. They can be anonymous or well know. There are no rules. If you believe that they are brave shout it to the world.
Use #realbravewomen or #fictionalbravewomen
Angela M Caldwell 