Do empowered women really empower women?

Empower verb

1. give (someone) the authority or power to do something.

      2. Make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in 

controlling their life and claiming their rights.

Yesterday (March 8th) was International Women's Day and women all around the world celebrated and shared how great it was to be a woman, we celebrated how far we've come since the feminist movement began in the 1800s and we celebrated all the fabulous women who have inspired, motivated and fought for us to have many of the rights and freedoms that we women in the West (quite rightly) have. There are still many inequalities faced by women in the west but compared with countries where women are punished for being raped, have no access to education, are trafficked, married off as children, etc. we have it pretty good.

I started looking through the social media profiles of current female celebrities and I got to thinking - Do empowered women really empower women?

Let's take Kim Kardashian (who declined to call herself a feminist in 2016 then later backtracked), she has an Instagram following of 108 million people and a Twitter following of 59 million. That's an incredible platform for anyone in the public eye to have and an amazing opportunity to reach out and educate young girls who follow her of what inequalities and injustices women around the world are still having to endure and what we can all do to fight for and help these women; to enable them to have the same rights and freedoms that we in the West take for granted, instead all I saw from her was an opportunity to try to cash in on International Women's day by trying to flog a 'feminism inspired emoji pack' for £2.99. With an estimated net worth of £126.9 million Kim could have easily donated money raised from the sale of this particular emoji pack to any number of charities across the globe that advocate for the rights of women who face these horrible injustices but she didn't. Some may argue with me that she's a business woman and doesn't have to do anything; or that she may donate to charities (which I don't doubt she does) but she's also someone who uses the feminist movement to stay relevant (see topless pic with Emily Ratajkwoski - #liberated). 

I find it great to see women confident with theirselves and loving their bodies but the feminist movement and women's rights movement is about so much more than just getting your tits and ass out and 'breaking the internet'. It does nothing to help those who need it most - those without a voice - and whether you love her or loathe her, Kim Kardashian is a woman of power who has an incredible opportunity to make a difference (as do many women in the public eye). So it's disappointing to see her caption her instagram pic on the day with the quote 'Empowered women empower women'. Kim Kardashian is a women who has the power to influence and inspire young girls who look up to her but a naked selfie isn't the way to do it. The only person that's empowering is yourself. I mean how many young girls/women look at her naked selfies and feel strong and confident about themselves or feel in control? - I'm guessing not many. When the likes and comments start rolling in I'm fairly certain that Kim feels pretty empowered about herself though. 

The true supporters of Women's rights are the women who actively use their platforms to do good and influence in a way that  has a positive impact on the lives of others. As for the women who empower me... they're not celebrities on instagram or twitter, they're the people who have changed the world and worked bloody hard to achieve great things; they're the people who have been to hell and back and still find the courage to carry on; they're the people who fight for those who need it most and most importantly, they're the ones who would never think of themselves as 'empowering' anyone.