Celebrating women today and every day

As a female-founded business, we at CTZN believe wholeheartedly in amplifying women’s voices and achievements all year round. Celebrating the utter awesomeness of our gender is ingrained in the very DNA of our brand. So instead of writing a long essay about the adversities that females often face, we decided to flip the narrative and talk candidly about why we think women are downright sensational. 

Finish the sentences with CTZN’s founders

• Women are superheroes because we have the ability to be both empathetic and authoritative – a deadly combo! (Aleena)

• Our bodies are so powerful because we bleed every month, can birth a baby, and can nurse a baby…that is pretty phenomenal. (Aleezeh)

• I’m thankful that I’m a woman because it means I get to: embrace my femininity, challenge stereotypes, and be a part of a strong and supportive community of women. (Naseeha)

• To me, female empowerment is embodied in self-acceptance and rising above the conditioning of the patriarchy. Straying away from the idea of needing to be a ‘good girl’ (Aleena)

• We have the capacity to be empathetic and process emotions, which I think is truly underrated. (Aleezeh)

• Women thrive in leadership positions because we bring unique perspectives, skills, and qualities to the table. We are collaborative, empathetic, and great communicators, which can make us effective leaders who inspire and motivate others. (Naseeha)

• One stereotype of women which is absolutely untrue, is that we are overly sensitive or emotional, which I don’t think has to be a negative trait all the time. To me being emotional means loving harder, understanding more and being more empathetic. (Aleezeh)

• Female entrepreneurs in fashion and beauty have an edge because we have a deep understanding of what women want and need. We can tap into our own experiences and perspectives to create products and services that resonate with other women. Plus, we often have a good sense of style and a great eye for design, which can make our products stand out in a crowded market. (Naseeha)

Let’s get personal

These are the women, moments, songs and more that constantly inspire us

1. My earliest memory of realising I loved being female:

Observing the powerhouse of women who raised me at a young age! Simply being in their presence and seeing how resilient they are was so inspiring to me. (Naseeha)

The sheer JOY of dressing up and being feminine! Watching my mom dress up for dinner parties and wanting to touch her hair and try on her shoes. (Aleena) 

 I think dancing freely is when I felt most feminine and in tune with my body (Aleezeh)

2. The most inspirational example of female multitasking that I’ve seen:

My inspiration for this would have to be my mom who I remember when I was young had to dress us for school, deal with our tantrums and also pack our lunches all in the same beat. (Aleezeh)

The photographer on the shoot for one of our recent product launches was 8 months pregnant and taking photos with the biggest smile on her face and at the same time choreographing the shoot. Not to mention she didn’t complain once the whole shoot! (Naseeha)

Lately, I’ve felt inspired by a female founder I saw on Instagram who has a successful, cult-favorite indie brand, took a month off to surf in Costa Rica while working remotely and somehow has time for a relationship! Goals. (Aleena)

3. My favourite song celebrating female empowerment:

“I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor – it’s a great song because it speaks to the strength, resilience, and independence of women. The lyrics tell the story of a woman who has been through a difficult breakup but refuses to be defeated. Instead, she picks herself up and vows to keep going, even stronger than before. (Naseeha)

“Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain. Just from how the song starts, “Lets go girls”, automatically I feel like I’m in charge and powerful. It makes me feel unstoppable. The song gives off the idea that women don’t need to ask for permission to thrive, let’s just go! And, it feels so uniting for women to come together and also be powerful together. (Aleezeh)

"Who Run the World” by Beyonce, obviously! (Aleena)

4. My favourite female book or movie character:

This may sound trivial, but Angelina Jolie’s character from Mr. and Mrs. Smith just came to mind, and the all-female team she works with on her missions. What stands out is that there is nothing about her character that feels less than her male counterpart. If anything, she seems to be the dominant character in the duo. Seeing her physical strength and capabilities felt thrilling as a female viewer. And, her character in Lara Croft– the combination of beauty, power, intelligence and physical strength are important to see in the media. (Aleena)

One of my faves is “Legally Blonde”, which follows the story of a bubbly and determined law student who shows that being true to oneself and standing up for what's right is more important than conforming to societal expectations. Go Elle Woods! (Naseeha)

I loved the book Untamed by Glennon Doyle because it truly made me want to seek who my authentic self was and how being a female is so powerful when you allow yourself to fully take away the shame that can come with not doing things by the norm that a women should do. (Aleezeh)

Happy International Women’s Day!