A personal post by Sophia Bouwens
While challenging, I love the opportunity to share with my 8 year old daughter the beauty and power we have in our lineage of women. I am careful to choose my words when discussing this topic. I want her to know that being a woman means having strength at your core. To be a woman means to brave the unknown. To be a woman means to be a resourceful creator. I want her to know that our strength as women comes not from us individually, but from what we are together.
I have amazing women in my blood.
We were recently chatting about how her great-great grandmother, Inga Sophia, was a "mail order bride" to her great-great grandfather. She came from Olslo, Norway to Minnesota to meet and marry a man whom she hardly knew. She came across the ocean alone to start a new life, in a far away world she knew nothing about. She is the woman I am named after.
I have brave women in my blood.
The conversation started when she asked about why women were once able to be "bought" or "traded" for. It continued on with me telling her that, sadly, this still occurs in today’s world. She then pointed to my earrings from Fair Anita, and recalled the conversations we have had previously about our choices and buying power. She’s in a phase of development where she’s very justice-oriented, so these kinds of deep conversations happen frequently around our house!
I have caring women in my blood.
I come from a line of strong women who raised up from hard circumstances with very little. My mom is the most inspiring of them all, to me.
I have strong women in my blood.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day in March, I celebrate the strong women who came before me, and who are around me today. Being a part of JADA Studios, I get to work alongside a team of brave, caring, strong, and amazing women every day. Not just our care team, but the women around us that help with cleaning, legal negotiations, marketing, writing, financial planning, mentorship, and so much more.
I have inspiring women in my life.
Because of each of them; I too, am a strong woman.
-Sophia