international women's day - equality for a sustainable tomorrow

This year's theme 

This year's global theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is ‘Changing Climates: Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow'. It is all about recognising and amplifying the important role women and girls around the world play in addressing climate change and a sustainable future.

International Women's Day Australia describes in more detail: Gendered norms and ideas of what a woman’s role should be in society often mean that women and girls experience the impacts of climate change and natural disasters differently. However, women's voices are frequently side-lined when developing solutions to climate change – with 67% of all climate-related decision-making roles currently held by men.

What's the significance of International Women's Day?

It's an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women and to recognise how far we've come in achieving gender equality. It's also a time to highlight how far we have to go. The first women were allowed to vote in 1911, but only in 8 countries, reproductive rights were nonexistent and equal pay and a gender-equal world was unheard of. So yes, we've come a long way in the progress of women's rights, women are now running corporations, celebrating women's political achievements and not fighting to be allowed to go to work. However, we still have a way to go for all the world's women to have complete equality.

At BNB we are proud to be female lead, a team of badass humans if I do say so myself. To celebrate International Women’s day we sat down for a chat with our Director Patrizia to ask her a few questions about navigating life as a business woman, Fur baby Mumma and the nuances of singledom.

What does it mean to be a female business owner, and what is one piece of advice you would give another female wanting to start a business or brand?

To me being a female business owner means believing in yourself and backing your ideas and passions 100%. It means owning who you and what you do to impact people and the planet in a positive way

My advice to any women wanting to start a business is know your worth and don’t compare yourself or your brand to others. You want to stand out from the crowd and have solid point of difference. It’s also important to play to your strengths and be authentic.

As an independent, single woman navigating the world, what are some pressures and expectations that you experience both personally and from others?

To be honest, I generally don’t feel the pressure of the societal norms of having kids, settling down or getting married. I have always danced to my own beat and I am very comfortable doing so.  However, in my experience, there have been times where I have felt as though my life journey, whether that might be struggles or low points in life, are not seen as seriously as women in a traditional family unit.

There is a bit of a perception that solo women have all the time in the world, so our time is less valuable, which as women, we should be supporting each other more, no matter what our life choices are, instead of judging those whose life seems more ‘breezy’ on the surface. 

Your career has grown from strength to strength, what inspires you to keep smashing your goals? 

I have always been a driven and self-motivated person. I am passionate about creating something on my own terms that aligns with my values and core beliefs. If something does not sit well with me, I will not do it. I am strong-minded in that sense, everything I do in life needs to align with who I am as a person and what I believe.

Do you think there is a different expectation of women when it comes to career?

I don’t really feel any expectations on me personally as I do my own thing, which, I guess, comes from some element of self-belief. However, there are times where I do doubt myself - I think it’s entirely natural to do this, we are our own worst critics at times!  I do think society has come a long way with gender equality, but there is still a way to go. I'm all for more women leaders! For me personally, if I reach a point of being satisfied, that’s when I keep trying to be better, to learn more, and, to reach for new goals. Life is not a destination, it's a journey.

What is the most challenging thing about being single (other than putting a fitted sheet on the bed solo obviously!) and on the flipside, what is the most liberating aspect of being a solo woman?

I’m not sure if this is more of a challenge or just a change - It can sometimes be harder to socialise and connect with people when I might need someone to talk to or vent to. 

As you get older, more people you know are starting families, which makes it trickier to connect.

In terms of the more liberating aspect of marching to my own drum; there is no better feeling than the sense of achievement when I accomplish something on my own and, I also get to do what I want, when I want! 

Mostly for me, freedom in what I do is so important. I see freedom of self as more important than a hefty paycheck and climbing the career ladder. The freedom to be who I want, when I want without judgment and external approval.

What advice would you give to other single women in their 30's who perhaps feel the stigma of their 'relationship status'?

Nobody should be pressured by ‘societal norms’ or expectations. Who is to say how you should live your life?  We have grown up with a notion of ‘go to school, get married, buy a house, have kids.’  This journey of life is not a one size fits all, and that is perfectly acceptable. 

You are just as valuable and important as others that have all those things, and understanding yourself on a deeper level and what you want from life is so important to be happy within yourself.

There have been times (mostly at hens nights or weddings) that I get asked ‘When are you going to get married?’ or ‘when are you going to have kids?’ 

As a collective, we place expectations on each other to move through life on the same timeline as everybody else, but life is not about painting everyone with the same brush.

Women that inspire you, who are they and why do they inspire you?

To be honest most of my inspirations come from men like Daniel Johns, Freddy Mercury, Boy George and Salvador Dali - all these people are uniquely and unapologetically themselves as they break the norms.

The more I pondered on this question, I realised that strong female figures were not celebrated as much as men. This to me showed the lack of celebration around the achievements of women and powerful female figures in the forefront when growing up. So, as I started looking a little harder for female inspiration, I realised, that in fact, these women were visionaries of their time and inspired communities around them (and continue to do so!). I think women and girls around the world need to learn about these women and all the amazing things they have achieved.

Barbara Kruger

True feminist in the traditional sense.

Barbara inspires me because, for her time, her art was bold and made an impression in a heavily male-dominated field. Her art addresses cultural constructions of power, identity, consumerism, human rights and sexuality. 

Examples of her instantly recognisable slogans include "I shop therefore I am", "Your body is a battleground", and "You are not yourself" appearing in her signature white letters against a red background. This style of work has been heavily reappropriated by contemporary artists and brands.

Most of her work deals with provocative topics like feminism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire, frequently appropriating images from mainstream magazines and using her bold phrases to frame them in a new context.

Katherine Hammett

Katharine inspires me to stand true to my core beliefs, the importance of ethics and, of course, a sustainable tomorrow.

Perhaps, the most famous moment for Hammett was the 58% DON’T WANT PERSHING t-shirt she wore to meet British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher: a bold political act that made front-page news around the world.

A more sustainable future and ethical production in fashion became of prime importance, further shaking up what was expected of a global brand at the time. What makes Hamnett so badass to me is that Katherine started a war way before its time. She ceased her business and ripped up the licenses until she was able to create in a way that felt authentic and true to her core beliefs or social justice, equal pay and sustainability.

Now some three decades later, we are finally seeing exactly what she was saying. To me, Katherine is somewhat of a human rights activist with her slogan t-shirts 'no more fashion victims' saying it all. I absolutely love her ‘I don't give a fuck attitude’ and for never selling out and instead, sticking up for her beliefs!

Frida Kahlo

​​One of the most inspirational painters of the 20th century. Kahlo inspires me because she broke down a lot of barriers in life and in her art. Frida represents equal rights and an equal future by never conforming to presenting herself a certain way, instead, she defied society's beauty standards and created thought-provoking self-portraits that explore identity, the human body, and death. 

Her resilience and determination is something to also admirable, after illness and a car accident Kahlo used her struggle as a strength instead of being limited by it.

International Womens Day | Women the team at BNB look up to

Amelia Earhart 

One of the world's most celebrated aviators and was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart encouraged women to reject constrictive social norms and to pursue any opportunity, accelerating women's equality, especially in the field of aviation.

Alicia Keys

Singer, songwriter and ambassador. Alicia inspires us because she is true to herself. In 2016, Alicia wrote a powerful essay for Lenny Letter called "Time to Uncover", in this she publicly shares her journey to embracing natural beauty. From that Alicia launched a social media campaign, #NoMakeup, to challenge society's judgement and imposed beauty ideals for women, hell yes! Alicia is also the ambassador for Keep A Child Alive and has travelled to countries such as Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa to speak to teens and young adults who've lost their parents to AIDS and are now the heads of their own households.

Iris Apfel

Fashion, Interior, Textiles Designer. Iris cultivated a personal style that is both witty and exuberantly individual, calling herself ‘the world’s oldest teenager’. Today, she still inspires women all over the world to find out who they are to always believe in their own style.

Lena Waithe

Screenwriter & Actor, Producer. Changing how men and women from marginalised communities view their stories on the small and big screen. Focusing on inclusion, diversity and acceptance.