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She wanted to rock her short skirt with no fear, so she joined them
All around the world, V-Girls are changing how people think about V-Day, or Valentine's Day.
02.09.15
V-Girls are a global network of 6,000 fearless young women from 26 different countries. They're empowering themselves and their friends to make change in the world.
One way they're doing that is by celebrating love of self and sisterhood.
What does that actually mean in real life?
Members host workshops on self-confidence so others can walk down the street without catcalls seeping into their consciousness. They write monologues that proclaim "I'm an Emotional Creature" and don't apologize for it. They teach other girls to speak up for themselves without feeling shame.
V-Girls all over the world are being proactive in their communities. They're tackling big issues and fighting them head-on.
Here's what's on their minds:
"I want a world not only of tolerance, but peace, and security, and love. I want to be able to walk down the street and rock my short skirt and love my fat thighs. I want more women to be empowered and know that through passion they can achieve so much."
"I believe that if every girl in the world today stood up against pleasing, whether it's pleasing friends and doing stuff you're not ready to do, or pleasing a boyfriend by not using a condom, if we just stop pleasing and began refusing and being our authentic selves and keeping our identity true to who we are, then I believe we can realize the change we want."
"Nobody is allowed to abuse my body, nobody is allowed to take control of my body, nobody is allowed to take control of my mind, my spirit, and my soul. I'm a refuser. I will refuse to let anybody abuse who I am."
"We have to allow ourselves to be who we really are, and let that come out. You have to believe you're worth it. You have to believe you deserve it and that you can do anything. And the minute girls allow themselves to be who they really are and believe in themselves and love themselves, the world will change."
V-Girls is connected to a larger effort called V-Day. Most folks associate V-Day with Valentine's Day, which is cool, but it's also the name of a group, millions strong, that is committed to ending violence against women. The "V" in V-Day stands for vagina, victory, and Valentine.
"Girls are the future of our movement. Women are the primary resource of our planet. It is imperative to educate and nurture future activists so we can see our vision of a world free from violence against women and girls come true." —V-Day
Now that says more to me than any store-bought Valentine ever could.
Check out the video below to hear from these brave girls.
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