The Fashion Trend for Equality

Hi there,

My name is Omonye Akhigbe and I’m a woman like you, A Nigerian woman to be exact.

Happy International Women’s Day!

I am very excited about this day and my excitement increased when I checked the International Women’s Day website and saw a pledge from my CEO and many others I admire. I am excited there’s a buzz about this day today, as is every year.

As I meditated on what this day means to me I realised something; it’s important what we say as women, but it is almost equally as important what we wear.

I’m a woman and whether I chose to admit it or not, from generations before I was born, I have always been judged by what I wear. Fashion fads go and come, but over the years, women have worn predominantly two outfits, hope and then faith.

Hope

When we were disenfranchised, we hoped for the opportunity to vote, when we were discriminated against at work, we hoped for an opportunity to be treated equally. In some countries, our Hope worked, the law came on our side and now we have faith in the system, we now wear faith. However, women in some other countries where they can’t drive, can’t shop alone, can’t have access to education and can’t even determine to whom or at what age they marry continue to wait on Hope

Faith

We have faith in the system, at least in some countries. The law works in our favour, we now get half of everything in a divorce, and men can’t talk cheeky at us at work and get away with it. Although there is still a long road to travel, more opportunities abound for us. But hey sister, there’s one final outfit babe, the one you need to wear that will make you realise you need to stop shopping. It is called love.

Love

Love yourself, love your sisters and love others.

Love yourself enough to never tolerate negative behavior. Love yourself enough to take things you want and never wait for them to come to you. Love yourself enough to understand the system you’re waiting on to help you and liberate you is man-made. You’re ‘man’ so ‘make’ yourself free. Love yourself enough to represent your opinion at every time. Love yourself enough to defend yourself. Love yourself enough to the point you realise you deserve nice things and nice people around you. Love yourself enough to help yourself achieve her goals, live her dreams and live on highest heights. Do not call it a man’s world and be simply satisfied because it won’t be anything without a woman. Do not be okay with that. Love yourself.

Love your sister. Love her enough to give her a hand. Help her see why she should love herself. Do not just pass by while she is robbed of her innocence, education and her childhood. Love her, help her grow, help her up, help her see all she needs is inside her. No one can ever give her the legislation she needs to be treated equally, equality is something she already has, she just needs to enforce it! Love her enough to make her realise she must continue to walk against the laws that limit and reduce her. Love her.

Love everyone else; brother, friend, uncle and every other man. Understand that what we demand is opportunity and not recognition. The only person who has the right to introduce a person is the person herself. Whatever she calls herself is what she will be called. We do not demand identity for we already have it. We do not demand recognition, that’s ours to define. We do not demand anything else but opportunity. We don’t get to have the opportunities we need if we hate ‘them’, that’s not the way to go. We are light, we are truth, we are love and that is what we must represent. Love others.