Discussing the 2024 International Women’s Day theme ‘Inspire Inclusion,’ St Catherine’s School Year 12 student, Rhea Werner believes to truly realise inclusion, it must start at an individual level.  

“Too big. Too small. Too broad. Too tall. Too short.”  

As I scroll my social media, I am confronted – bombarded – every single day by the constant influx of comments on other women’s bodies. A 10-second video that usually has nothing to do with herself is suddenly turned into just one about her appearance.   

A couple of months ago after school, I vividly remember seeing one of these videos. I don’t even remember what the video itself was about, but I do remember all the disparaging comments. I scrolled through them one by one and in the end, I put my phone down and said – “but I look like that?”  

In the span of a couple of seconds, my outlook had changed. All of a sudden, it felt as though I regarded myself differently. I wasn’t the ideal; I didn’t fit the expectations.   

Yet, ironically, our perception of what the ideal woman is changes so drastically across the span of just a couple of years. And although body image is one of the issues that stands out, it is seemingly every part of a woman’s identity. An idealised conception about her intellectual ability, her sporting ability, her social ability – the list goes on and on.   

“You’re too much of this, you’re not enough of this.”   

The only thing that ever seems to be right is the fact that you’re never living up to the seemingly unattainable standards.   

And the thing is, these standards are unattainable, and it is important to recognise this.   

This International Women’s Day, we aim to #InspireInclusion: to imagine a world free of biases, gender stereotypes and discrimination. Whilst it can seem that the whole world dons the purple for one day, filling up social media with posts of support and parading blazers adorned with purple ribbons, the deeper meaning of International Day Spans is so much deeper than this.   

To truly realise inclusion, it starts at an individual level. It starts by recognising that there is no ideal woman: no ideal body shape, no ideal intellect, no ideal ‘sociable level.’ In truth, inspiring inclusion first means to accept and embrace yourself. It is only once we recognise our own differences that we can truly accept and embrace those of others.   

For myself, it was only once I stopped comparing myself to this ‘ideal’ that I felt I could truly work towards uplifting others, by founding the Embrace Collective Youth Initiative – Australia’s first body-image organisation led by youth. Through this initiative, we have worked towards realising and promoting gender equality, helping over 1 million Australian kids work towards ‘embracing’ themselves.   

But International Women’s Day is just one part of the puzzle. Whilst it might only be one day, as a girl, I take so much optimism in knowing that for this day, we are recognising this issue for what it is. For this one day, we can start a lifetime of acceptance and embracing.  

So, this International Women’s Day, I encourage you to first accept yourself and uplift those around you. It is only once we get rid of our internalised perceptions that we can truly #InspireInclusion and forge gender equality.  

Rhea’s article was also featured in The Age’s International Women’s Day Feature, 2024.