Natural Woman.

I have always admired women with big, pure voices. And I think this is a wonderful take on a classic song, originally sung by Aretha Franklin. Natural Woman by Mary J. Blige. I think there's a lot of power and strength in the word 'woman,' and lately it's been interesting to think of what separates girlhood and womanhood. Britney Spears seemed to be stuck somewhere in the middle... (there is so much bad music out there), but the feminine, though classically described as fragile, soft and sweet also asserts a deep sense of strength and steadiness. This reminds me of a poem I chose to analyse in Minority studies in year 11, entitled 'The woman thing', written by Audre Lorde, an incredible woman who described herself as a 'black, feminist, lesbian, poet, warrior.'

The poem is incredibly provocative and forewarning. History has not been kind to women, and certainly, the trend of the downtrodden sex continues in the world- female genital mutation, and female infanticide as prime social examples. And while I have been blessed to be given equal opportunity, whenever I asked for it, it's hard to ignore the realities of other people's existences. A lot of people look upon Feminism as a purely aggressive social revolution, aimed at hurting the collective male ego, and venting frustration upon Male-kind. But I think if you only look a little bit further, it's evident how neccessary the feminist movement was in giving women a voice and how important it continues to be in a cultures and nations that are still on the road to liberation.

I admire strong people with social conscience and willingness to make change, whether they be male or female, and I have great respect for the women AND men involved in the feminist movements of the past. This year, while voting (something I really did not want to do), I remembered how hard people have had to struggle to gain any kind of democratic rights, and I felt ashamed of myself. It's easy to get caught in middle-class morality- where those in power are solely blamed for the inadequacies of our society, but then more important to remember that we have been given opportunities to make change.

It's incredibly easy to become entangled in day-to-day life. We worry about work, success, money, our satisfaction, our relationships, our happiness, our health. After all that, who really has time to worry about the rest of the world? I've always struggled with the idea of sacrifice, often told that you can't keep everyone happy. Essentially, choose a career path (which will lead you to unknown destinations, take up your time and emotional space) or choose your family, friends, the people that love you, and focus on their happiness. Either way you're going to be a little dissatisfied, and I see no reason why you can't do both, and make it work successfully. Or at least, that's what I hope to do.

Next year, I have tentative plans to hold a screening of 'Walk to Beautiful', probably at UNSW, to raise money for Catherine Hamlin's foundation (another amazing Australian woman who has been named the Mother Theresa of our generation). Still trying to figure out the details, but in essence, it's a documentary about the lives of fistula patients in Ethiopia, and their journey to recovery, and something I've wanted to do for about a year and a half now. So, armed with inspiration and plans, I march into the week ahead!

Love, and all those other good things (like cupcakes)

Kavi :)

ps. Come to Medshow.