Gulabi Gang: Fierce Females in Fuschia

Women's rights and equality sadly continue to be an issue around the globe and astonishingly even in my own back yard (America) as women take to the polls in November hopefully to maintain our right to choose. Female reproduction and the GOP's effort to control it seem to always be at the forefront of the elections. A Republican group of white, "Christian", rich males attempting to use the bible to continue to suppress women and push their patriarchal agendas. OBAMA 2012! (I am LisaG and I approve this message)

But there is global hope that women can stand together to make real change and protect one another.

There is a group in India called GULABI GANG  (Gulabi = Hindi for PINK) who are committed to protecting and educating women. India historically has been a rigid and oppressive patriarchal society who's women have been abused and treated as second class citizens.  In their Fuschia Sari's the Gulabi Gang are right fighters in Uttar Pradesh in Northern India. They are a rural "Justice League" wielding a bamboo stick and loads of passion for protesting child marriages, protecting the victims of abuse, teaching women to read and MORE.

Their Website Explains: "The Gulabi Gang is an extraordinary women’s movement formed in 2006 by Sampat Pal Devi in the Banda District of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India. This region is one of the poorest districts in the country and is marked by a deeply patriarchal culture, rigid caste divisions, female illiteracy, domestic violence, child labour, child marraiges and dowry demands. The women’s group is popularly known as Gulabi or ‘Pink’ Gang because the members wear bright pink saris and wield bamboo sticks. Sampat says, “We are not a gang in the usual sense of the term, we are a gang for justice.”

The Gulabi Gang was initially intended to punish oppressive husbands, fathers and brothers, and combat domestic violence and desertion. The members of the gang would accost male offenders and prevail upon them to see reason. The more serious offenders were publicly shamed when they refused to listen or relent. Sometimes the women resorted to their lathis, if the men resorted to use of force.

Today, the Gulabi Gang has tens of thousands of women members, several male supporters and many successful interventions to their credit. Whether it is ensuring proper public distribution of food-grains to people below the poverty line, or disbursement of pension to elderly widows who have no birth certificate to prove their age, or preventing abuse of women and children, the Pink sisterhood is in the forefront, bringing about system changes by adopting the simplest of methods - direct action and confrontation.

Although the group’s interventions are mostly on behalf of women, they are increasingly called upon by men to challenge not only male authority over women, but all human rights abuses inflicted on the weak."

Their story is BEYOND inspirational! What have you done to create/enforce change or help women?  It may just start with providing an ear or shoulder to women around you. We have a unique set of challenges and circumstances as we navigate this life. Strength in numbers indeed. The Fierce Females in Fuschia let nothing stop them and neither should you!

WOMEN: Let's Stand Together

In celebration of International Women's Day I wanted to discuss how more WOMEN should celebrate WOMEN. Although our patriarchal society is largely responsible for our repression over the course of history, women also should be held accountable for their roles. We have made AMAZING progress over the years with with respect to Equality, Reproductive Rights, in the work place, and on a global scale. I feel, we as women should be allies and not competitors and could do better for each other. The mysogynistc undertones still exist across the globe when women deal with various forms of discrimination, degeneration, violence and abuse (largely from men) but women are also culpable to some degree.

The time is NOW to truly stand together in the sisterhood we all share. We have unique challenges and responsibilities as women and should be there as a supportive force to one another, not just today but every day.

In a world of uncertainty, here is what I can CONFIRM:

ALL WOMEN ARE

* Capable

* Worthy

* Unique

* Beautiful

When is the last time you helped out a female friend for no reason? or told another women that they have been an inspiration for you? do you support female owned businesses? or told someone you know they are beautiful? or a good mother? or applauded a female counterpart for what she has accomplished?

Lets celebrate WOMEN today and all that we have done and continue to do to better ourselves and our world. As a giant global team we can make the changes needed to liberate women all over the world to feel truly empowered and inspired and help each other to live up to our full potentials. The change in attitude and action starts with each one of US.

My top 2 Inspirational Women of the year:

Christy Turlington - Model, Mother, Film Maker and Women's Right Activist: Maternal Health -via Every Mother Counts. Her documentary and work abroad has and is continuing to make a difference in the lives of women and mothers everywhere.

Loren Ridinger: Business Woman, Mother, Jewelry Designer, who is on a relentless digital-quest to inspire women and empower them to be the best they can be, in business and otherwise.

‎"Inside of you is a smart, powerful, dynamic, capable, self-confident, alive, alert, fabulous woman! Let her come out and play. The world is waiting for you." - Louise L. Hay

Female Evolution: Holiday Edition

We've come a long way baby... I was looking through some Vintage advertisements and it made me think about how much women's roles have changed over the years. Our hopes and dreams are bigger too, but not big enough in my opinion. I still see women who are beautiful, capable, and fabulous still falling into the roles that other people in their lives have for them (namely men but parents, friends, etc.)



We have swapped our Hoovers for iPad's but have we as women really evolved out of the gender specific roles of the past? or have we just piled more onto an already full plate? Maybe it is not the roles that changed just the perception of those roles. I still have to push my "Hoover" around, make dinner, laundry, school drop off, bathing kids, grocery shopping, WORK (building my business), and maintain something that resembles a social life. I help bring home the bacon, cook it in the pan, serve it AND clean up after.

I'm also proud of some women's evolution as mothers into multi-taskin mammas and MOMprenerurs too.



I honestly believe that we can have it all and do it all; it just depends on how much we want it ALL! I also believe that the concept of "balancing" it all is totally deceptive and non existent, created by an over worked woman to give her peers hope of achieving this allusive balance to hold on for one more day and give her the strength to keep going.

I'm thankful for my husband as he picks up some slack with the children, cleaning and other household duties out of pure love as I build my business and multi-task. Maybe we have evolved to share our roles in order to make the full plate palatable?

I wanted to acknowledge how we in today's society have made our full plates functionally FABULOUS!

Take pride ladies on how far we have come, how much we do and how far we can go! This holiday season is one of the busiest as we trim the tree, shop, bake, and entertain on top of our regular daily grind! Take pause this holiday to reflect on everything you have accomplished this year ... and what amazing things await you in 2012