Last week it was International Women’s day. We were supposed to be remembering the successes, achievements, merits of women around the globe. I don’t ever remember this day being celebrated in Britain when I lived there. Perhaps it is now.
I did a quick Google to find some random images. Lots of collages with women from different lands smiling in solidarity...
In Italy it is traditionally a day when women are given little bunches of yellow mimosa flowers by the men in their lives. In the evening they go out to have a women’s dinner with their girlfriends. A bit like a hen night without the strippers. Or sometimes with. They call it ‘festa della donna. I did a google for this too to see what came out. Mostly naked, lots of fluffy mimosa covering the important bits. I do have to say that the festa della donna was much more like international man's day.
Last month over a million women took to the streets of Italy to protest about Berluska and they way he uses and manipulates women: the official slogan, ‘se non ora quando?’ Bit like an old Tracy Chapman favourite, If not now when? Here’s the official poster.
PINK. The big official stage in Rome was pink. Anything that has anything to do with women is often followed by the adjective ‘rosa’- pink. Many primary schools still get little boys to wear blue overalls (a sort of apron thing to stop their clothes from getting dirty) whilst the girls have to wear PINK.
When Eve was about 2 ½ it was difficult to have a conversation with her about anything that wasn’t pink. I don’t know how she did it but I’d say 80 if not 90% of her entire output was concerned with the colour pink. ‘I like pink Mummy, look, pink ball. Mummmy… pink . I like pink.’ She would wear nothing that wasn’t pink. Her favourite food was ham, because it was pink!!! Obsessed. She’s now 4 ½ and has grown out of the pink phase, she talks about international politics with ease…Italy is 150 tomorrow… Tanti Auguri!!
