March 8 - committed...

“Women and girls can do whatever they want. There is no limit to what we women can achieve.” Michelle Obama

This March 8 is a special day. The UN declared it International Women's Rights Day. But why does it have to be special, again and again, as if since the Cave of Lascaux and the War of Fire, humanoids had not found a way to treat men and women equitably in a world that does not There is really no need to maintain disgrace, discrimination and conflicts, otherwise our good old planet, which will have disregarded all ecological conscience, will become a place as pleasant as Mad Max Fury Road.

So this March 8? Yet another failure, or a call for a better world? No suspense, you know my camp: “Hope”, “Together Stronger”, “Never Give up”... but how to do it?

1) my first feeling would be a form of annoyance. A universal day embellished with irrefutable slogans - how can we not adhere to the UN theme "think equitably, build intelligently, innovate for change", we light candles and sing in a circle Kumbaya My Lord... - then on March 8 at midnight, we move on to something else, like a broken momentum, or worse, a limp momentum, with no concrete landing strip for tomorrow morning.

There are holistic medicines that claim to treat illness as a whole, a vibration of body and mind, where the emotional, spiritual and physical merge or resonate together. It's true, I would be the first to advocate the essential place of emotions, empathy, even the irrational, in everything we experience....but there comes a time to eradicate the tumor, we must aim correctly. and hit hard. I know something about it, I can't imagine where a purely holistic therapy would have taken me.

This is a bit my state of mind at the start of International Women's Day, which aims to be holistic and universal, with no key to transforming reality. The issue deserves a different fate than joining Valentine's Day or Mother's Day on the agenda.

2) However, note that France has chosen to title this day: International Women's RIGHTS Day. I underline the word “rights”, in the plural. Precision is crucial and more concrete. We never say that we “celebrate” rights, we first say that we “earn” the right to do something, then that we “defend” our rights.

The legislators, whom we elected, have created over time a legal arsenal sufficiently satisfactory for activist lawyers and magistrates to defend and repress the unacceptable, discrimination, violence against women, abuse of weakness... This will not be never enough in the face of repeat offenses and unbelievable stupidity, but it is a must, compared to the countries, which also celebrate this March 8, which treat half of the human race, women, as subordinate things. The latter cannot expect big breakthroughs from their legislators, if they exist in the democratic sense.

On the other hand, we all now have an additional and powerful arsenal: social networks. They have brought mediocre impulses out of the shadows, it's inevitable, anonymous cowardice, slander, conspiracy, fake news... but it's just the drooling foam of the days, little compared to the formidable need for links who animate and unite good people in search of enlightenment, more knowledge and who refuse to give up. A hilarious girl in makeup who shares on Instagram her joy of driving a car in the streets of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, surely lends itself to local political marketing, but the image is printed on the canvas; this is an unprecedented breakthrough.

Today, 70% of my store's turnover comes from Instagram. My return to the joy of living owes a lot to the empirical community that we form via Instagram and FB, like a small pebble thrown into the pond which triggers more and more numerous pretty concentric circles, to end up spreading a wave, a brand if you prefer, my brand, our brand.

I respect feminism and activism, we owe them a lot, but it's not my thing, or rather I believe precisely that social networks allow us to better transform reality, through their viral and mimetic effect, rather than sudden actions fists that ultimately exacerbate friction and exclusion.

I am one of those who sneer or ignore the question if we are asked: “how to succeed as a woman? » , with this “as” which contains its share of condescension and incredulity, prejudging that it would be an achievement to do something other with one's life than baking cakes in the kitchen with friends under the glass ceiling.

Let us continue on the sly, but relentlessly, the fight against prejudices and stereotypes, taking charge of ourselves, without waiting for a helping hand from the political or administrative superstructures as they have been built to date, in immense part by men.

On the “helping hand” question I am divided. For many, there is not equal opportunity at the start, unfortunately. The Americans have tried many things to bring out their minorities, “affirmative action” and/or quotas, to eradicate inequalities. It appears that these actions did not produce a truly positive or decisive effect. Over time, the elected officials of these programs ended up being perceived as “pestioned” and/or seen as the protected of a “reserve”, a bit in reference to these Indians. who drag out their disgrace on the reservations of Wyoming or Colorado. But when you manage to get out of your condition without external help, with just your resilience and your strength of conviction, you no longer fear much! The same goes, I believe, for women who want a place at the big table of success. They deserve something other than being “punched” with pity and paternalism, right? What to do then? push open doors, come back through the window, surround yourself with the right people, grit your teeth while smiling...

Things are starting to change, really. It seems that girls are now in the majority in the final year of medical school, the judiciary, the Paris bar - to be verified - and they do not all come from the same social background. That's good, the wave is forming, the glass ceiling will crack more and more.

Let us be careful, however, that Françoise Giroud's ironic prophecy does not come true: "a woman would be the equal of a man, the day when, for an important position, an incompetent woman is appointed"! All that for this ? we deserve better. I feel good and legitimate when I pass through Station F without being seen like a UFO. Success is no longer reserved for one gender, XY or XX chromosome, but for those who believe in the communicative power of merit and competence... for the rest, sorry guys, I have less fun that you watch the exploits of PSG, on the contrary I can't even imagine that you love Juliette Armanet like me... we have lots of differences, but united on equal terms like regimental friends, on parity.

Come on, let's not drag our feet, let's continue...