International Women’s Day has somehow morphed into Valentine’s Mark II.
A day on which to shower the woman in your life with flowers and chocolate, or for businesses to promote beauty treatments , fashion and other ‘womanly’ interests. Which, frankly, is a bummer for a day with such serious and weighty intentions. Born in 1918 it aimed to focus efforts around tackling discrimination against women. Over the years this has included tackling inequality of opportunity and pay, violence against women, sexual harassment and of the multiple daily ways in which girls and women are somehow made to feel that they are lesser than boys and men.
We can do without the flowers and the special discount on the shoes, thanks very much for the kind thought, and all that. What would be great is if the day could be allowed to be itself, to stand as a reminder that things are not yet anywhere near how they should be.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘Make It Happen’ with a focus on recognising women’s achievements. With that in mind we wanted to say a huge thank you to all the amazing women who have been involved with & Of Other Things over this past year. We’ve spoken to artists, thinkers and academics, curators, musicians, film makers, designers. We have met, worked with and interviewed people who are creative, strong, funny – who have something different and interesting to say.
To all of these great women, a huge thank you.
Lê Hoàng Bích Phượng
Pham Hoang Mien
Suzanne Lecht
Tram Vu
Claire Driscoll
Thu Kim Vũ
Nhung Dvove
Amy Cleary
Phương Linh
Tran Hồng Nhung
June Yap
Trần Thu Hằng
Thủy Tiên Nguyễn
Lê Giang
Ute Meta Bauer
Nguyễn Hoàng Điệp
Nguyễn Thị Thắm
Mai Khoi
Liz Glennard
Tash Kovalenko
Lương Huệ Trinh
Siu Phạm
Hà Truong
Thảo Vũ
Doan Anh Thu
Stephanie Tham
Dana Peterson
Phạm Kiều Phúc
Bùi Thị Đông Thành
Eliza Lomas
Xuan Lan
Sadie Christie
Sam Heaps
Maia Do
Nhung Luu
Linh Chi
Tabby Chino
Ly Hương Nguyễn
Quyên Hoàng
Thu Ha Dao
Hương Thanh Nguyễn
Yen Nguyen
Thuy Linh
Thủy Pham
Suong Mai
Virginie Bourque
Autumn
Hà Rika
May Cortazzi
Linh Tường Đỗ
Nora Wehofsits
Annie Pham
Kaela Greenstien
● Words by Rose Arnold
