Has true feminism lost its essence?

On this International Women’s Day, I’d like to celebrate all the women of this world and specifically give a hats off to my team of incredible, intelligent, courageous, and hard working ladies. Thanks to their dedication, persistence, and tenderness, we are able to do more and be more at Al Masood.

But I’d also like to take a moment to ask us women to all look inwardly just for a second and ask ourselves a few of questions about the rising feminism trend:

Has true feminism lost its essence in order to become universal? Has feminism become a consumerist ploy to sell us more “I Am Feminist” mugs and t-shirts? Is it real feminism - if it is prioritizing the fight for the rights of privileged middle-class women who want equal pay and chances of growth - but not for the rights of women, mothers, sisters, and daughters in poor third world countries? Are we, as women, using the right metrics to measure our success in the world (more female CEOs... while there are still starving women in third world countries?) Are women in power kind to one another? Or do we grow into power and lose important aspects of our femininity which could have made us even better leaders: tenderness, kindness, and empathy.

As the author of “Why I’m Not A Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto”, Jessa Crispin brilliantly said - it is only when we are honest with ourselves about these things that we are able to achieve REAL change.

It is time for us women to stop measuring our successes within the existing parameters of a system that still benefits the privileged and forgets about the poor.

A system that makes a woman have to choose between being a successful leader or a present mother because we all need to clock in long hours.

A system where mass production and the killing of Mother Nature is the norm.

A world where men vs. women is still the conversation.

Now more than ever - we need to connect with one another - to work collaboratively and effectively - to re-incorporate inclusivity in our values - in order to rebuild a world that could save us all. For us to do so we have to be prepared to be inquisitive, to challenge the status quo, to put ourselves in the shoes of the underprivileged others, and to ask ourselves: “is what we have currently achieved enough?”

In closing, I want to dedicate my admiration and respect on this day to the Lebanese women on the frontlines of the revolution, those who galvanized the movement, those who kicked the armed security guards and the young girls who formed barriers betwenn army and protestors. You are the true testimony of strength in the Arab world!

Happy International Women's Day.