Zethu Zulu, Chief Copy Editor
For me, being a woman means having the freedom to decide for mysef what’s important to me. I don’t want to be dictated to what it means to be a woman – I’d like to find out through my own journey.
At first I didn’t really enjoy being female because of the pressure to look, behave, and speak a certain way. But, the more I grow up, the more I realise that I need to set up my own values based on how I see and want to portray myself. I also understand that my choices shoudn’t be imposed on other people, and vice versa. So I may admire some women, but that doesn’t mean I need to be like them. I may not aspire to be a mother, but that doesn’t make me less of a woman. So for me, it’s about self-actualisation and self-definition.
In an ideal world, women would just be, without the gaze of the man. Because we live in a man’s world, everything we do is set up against what men do. We’re always reading about the ‘first black woman’ to do something, which suggests that men have been doing that, and that is normal. In my ideal world, I wouldn’t have to worry about who’s watching, and also wouldn’t worry about comparing myself to my male counterparts or peers in order to define my success.
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Sisonke Labase, Journalist
For me, being a woman means I have the freedom and liberty to be unapologetically me, unlike my mom’s generation. Whatever I want to be in whichever space, I can be. That means not caring what people think about me, or whether they’ll judge me if I decide to do something that pleases me.
In an ideal world, I’d address the things that make me uncomfortable head-on, and not shy away from confrontation because I’m afraid of being seen as emotional, mad or extra.
Khathu Thusi, Production Manager
For me, being a woman means being spirituality in tune with myself. I’m mindful of my intuition as a woman, and meditate by shutting the outside noise and mental chatter, so that I’m able to create calm in my mind, heart and soul. I make sure that I celebrate all of my achievements as a woman, especially the ones that were achieved under difficult circumstances.
In an ideal world, I’d be a very powerful woman. All my ideas would be heard. I’d also be very rich, and try to uplift people’s lives in whatever way I can.
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Jessica Ramoshaba, Fashion Editor
For me, being a woman means that I recognise the power I have as a female person – through my ideas, being a mother and the key role I play in a family setting, as well as in my sisters’ and friends’ lives. It also means still being mindful of how important it is, now more than ever, to look after and take care of myself.
In an ideal world, I’d be a philanthropist, saving the world.
