"You can be anything. & woman." - our message for International Women's Day

How do you describe yourself?

I have asked myself this question again and again throughout my life. And explored it again and again. Some answers have always remained the same: creative, open-minded, friendly. Some have been added over time: reflective, empathetic, thoughtful. Some answers have been shaped by formative experiences: fragile, self-critical, combative. Some answers have taken time to really internalize: valuable, lovable, enough. Some cause me difficulties: perfectionist, erratic, questioning. And some answers have even become my greatest strengths: soft & emotional, unyielding & resilient.

When we listen to ourselves, each of us individually, and reflect on ourselves in this way, it can be overwhelming at first. Not everyone is used to dealing so intensively with their own identity. However, it is an enormously important step in recognizing our own self-worth and finding faith in ourselves. So that we accept ourselves as and who we are. That is empowerment. And that is what we are all about. Each of us deserves to feel empowered. And each of us can carry this empowerment forward. Namely by being who you are. Without apology, without compromise, without belittling, without pretending, without faking, without constraints, without pressure. Just you.

Who are you?
You can be anything.

Being a woman. What does that mean today?

The words I have chosen for myself reflect exactly that: who I am, or rather, parts of me. Perhaps you have recognized yourself in some of the attributes, perhaps you have recognized someone else in them. The point is: we are all a kaleidoscope of characteristics, traits, emotions, behaviors and experiences. We have so many facets and they change depending on how we turn and turn in the course of our lives. And yet the world we live in suggests that we are less as women*. Less competent. Less valuable. Less strong. Less significant. Less important. Less influential. Simply less. Sometimes even nothing.

But we are so much more.
At the beginning of the campaign, I wanted to gather myself first. What does it mean to be a woman* these days? What phrases and clichés are we confronted with? What should women* hear in order to be empowered? My thoughts gave rise to an emotion, a kind of inner rebellion. And that's exactly what I wanted to capture in my own words, first of all in a poem:

We are women

We are more than soft.
We are more than caring.
We are more than emotional.
We are more than beautiful.
We are more than devoted.
We are more than capable.

We are women.
We are more.

We are strong.
We are resilient.
We are courageous.
We are daring.
We are vulnerable.
We are divine.
We are thoughtful.
We are aware.

We are women.
We are more.

We are risk takers.
We are adventurers.
We are fighters.
We are leaders.
We are innovators.
We are doers.

We are women.
We are more.

We endure.
We resist.
We create.
We survive.
We provide.

We are women.
We are more.

- l.s.eve

These lines could go on and on, they need never end. They should serve as an impetus. For us to explore ourselves. They are meant to inspire us to be so uncompromisingly ourselves that oppression finds no foothold in us, rolls off us as we continue to grow. These lines are intended to encourage us to find empowerment in what we have experienced, achieved and created. That we find strength in what has challenged us, what we have grown from and what we have failed at. That we find strength in the fact of how we have shaped our lives, who we are today. These lines are meant to tell you: Be who you are. Don't let anyone make you less. Be proud of your facets. Show your colors, show your patterns, show who you are.

Because you can be anything.
& wife.

We want to inspire you with our message for International Women's Day. Take a look at our video that we spontaneously recorded in Munich:

But we don't just want to get our message out there for International Women's Day. We also want to bring about change in other ways. This year, as part of International Women's Day, we are supporting the organization Pinkstinks in their enormously important work to raise awareness of sexism. To mark the occasion, we have created our own canvas bag that you can use to carry your empowerment out into the world over your shoulder. For every bag purchased, two students will be educated about sexism. To tackle the problem of inequality at an early age and make it a thing of the past for future generations. You can find more information about our bag, the donation and the organization on our website:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this post. For us in the team at JUNLGLÜCK, International Women's Day is a particularly emotional and important time every year. We are incredibly grateful to be in a position where we can carry the message of empowerment, which I was able to give space to in this post, to you and our community with a wide reach. However, I and my colleagues are also aware that each and every one of us can contribute in small ways to empowering ourselves and others. Last but not least, this was the idea behind the design of the bag. A quiet but loud message that finds its place in everyday use - to inspire, encourage reflection and empower. How do you describe yourself? How do you continue this chain of words? What verses do you add to the poem?