Girls Can Do Anything

I grew up in the era of "Girls Can Do Anything" bumper stickers.

I don’t remember if there were fancy corporate lunches with keynote speakers and goody bags—maybe there were—but I was in high school. Fighting gender stereotypes was something I did on my lunch break.

The bumper sticker spoke to my battle cry.

Because even though the music was better in the ’90s, the treatment of women and girls in school, in sport, and in the workplace? Frankly, it sucked.

Women were underpaid, overlooked, and told to wear skirts ("Nice girls don’t get the corner office"). A career in sport wasn’t a real option. Girls were steered away from engineering, computer science, and finance. Women in politics were grossly underrepresented.

If you really dig into the state of equality in the ’90s, how much meaningful change has there actually been? Put down the prosecco, ladies—we’ve got a long way to go.

I’m going to say it. I find International Women’s Day a bit twee. That one special day a year when we congratulate ourselves on how far we’ve come with purple cupcakes and a brand-new, purpose-built hashtag. Maybe I’m battle-weary, but it’s not about me anymore.

In the lead-up to our “special day” this year, sexism has been a hot topic. From sports fields to office spaces, the Marty Sheargold controversy shows how women’s professional contributions are still diminished in public spaces. When the Matildas broke viewing records, they proved their excellence. When a radio host reduced them to outdated stereotypes, he proved why gender equality remains urgent work.

The performance of national sporting teams is absolutely fair game for public scrutiny—but Sheargold’s comments were unnecessarily gendered. By likening the Matildas to Year 10 girls, he reinforced the tired stereotype that girls are not to be taken seriously. I know a lot of girls in that age bracket. The hurt was palpable. The fury? A sight to behold.

It might seem ungrateful to question a day meant to celebrate women’s achievements and push for equality, but has the real meaning of International Women’s Day been lost amid a flurry of morning teas and performative social media posts?

Hashtag or no hashtag, there is still work to do.

#BringBackTheBumperStickers

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