#GrowingTogether- How Can Women As A Community Help Each Other Grow?
Someone once said that when women come together, they act as a force bringing innovation that transforms the community. In the last few years, especially after the #MeToo movement, I have seen women coming together as a collective force. Instead of tearing each other, they are lifting one another towards growth.
If you think that amongst men, there is a competition to be an alpha, well, society has also created the same contest amongst women. Unfortunately, this contest only benefits the male gaze. Women are taught to be prettier or smarter to get more attention from men.
Since the earlier times, debutante balls were an occasion to pit women against another to grab the best male suitor.
Popular culture also has added fuel to the fire. We have films and series where friendships are never possible between two beautiful women or wise women. They are a threat to each other. This division has not benefited women’s empowerment but propagated the chain of patriarchy even further.
However, things are changing as we women are slowly taking charge of public spaces and positions of power. We are coming together as a community. Rather than being territorial, we are being inclusive.
Women entrepreneurs have always had the ability to influence and inspire future generations. The many reasons behind beginning their own businesses might vary from one woman to another. However, it is seen that even with little financial independence, they are more likely to establish the significance of freedom, independent income and various achievements. There are several examples of wonderful women entrepreneurs who have inculcated vocational and life skills in people around them and simultaneously use their income to further improve standards of living.
As I read the book Strong Women Lift Each Other Up by Molly Gailbraith, I realised how every industry needs a strong community of women to grow and support each other in professional and personal spaces.
During the promotion of the film Bad Moms, Lilly Singh did a video with the cast and crew called Girl Love. That phrase stuck in my head, and I brought the ethos while starting Fuzia.
We are a community for women artists, writers, and creative talents to grow together.
In the space of fashion and digital space, which are highly competitive, women fashion designers and digital creators are coming together. Therefore, breaking the myth that two talented women cannot work together.
Masaba Gupta and Rhea Kapoor have collaborated to create apparel designs for curvy women. Influencers from the fashion genre are coming together to host shows and create original content. This shows that there is now a growing room for everyone to grow without feeling insecure or threatened.
Navya Naveli Nanda has started a community called ‘EntrepreNaaris’ for female businesswomen with an impact organisation called ‘Aspire for Her’ to mentor new-age entrepreneurs so that they grow and have access to resources.
The Mom Project is also a growing venture and digital marketplace that is helping mothers to re-enter the workforce after pregnancy sabbatical.
As entrepreneurs and professionals, we need to realise that supporting each other in the market already dominated by men will help us establish our niches. By growing together, we will be creating jobs and opportunities for more women.
If you are a women venture capitalist, start taking bets on more women entrepreneurs who need financial support to start their businesses. Start sharing resources and promote aspiring women creators and artists on social media. If not monetarily, through resource sharing and making them a part of our network, let’s lift each other.
Instead of being threatened, start appreciating each other’s gifts and talent. When we grow together and lift each other up, the next generation of women gets the chance to move up and support each other to break the chain of patriarchy. That’s our core motive at Fuzia and we strive every day to create a work culture that inculcates the power of support and mutual respect. Hence, I would like to urge all women from around the world to inspire and be inspired, motivate and be motivated, and establish a sense of community not just on Women’s Day, but every single day.
Written By Riya Sinha Co-Founder At Fuzia (Views Are Personal)
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