2017 Women’s March, Washington, DC (Image via Kalistrya)
Mixed Feelings in the Big Apple
I’m afraid I’m not going to be as positive as my fellow Culturess ladies about the Women’s March, so fair warning. I marched purely for selfish reasons. I marched to see what was making people so angry, and what was being done about that. Unfortunately, I saw more or less the same kind of ire I saw in the protests after the election.
Sure, it was a massive amount of people, and even though there was a specific message written down, it sure as hell wasn’t present as I stood on 2nd Avenue for two hours without moving. There were waves of energy that would quickly die out after a limp, lukewarm cheer. Women were only pointing out the funniest signs (Poison Him, Melania and This Little Pussy Went to Market were the winners). And discussions overheard felt like people were more focused on hindsight instead of where we could go from here. Honestly? It felt pointless for me to be there.
But this doesn’t mean I think the march was pointless. I saw myriad posts from all over the internet celebrating women, sisterhood, and friends standing together for a cause. That was nice to see, but I just wasn’t feeling it personally. I’m not so selfish that just because I don’t feel a thing doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I just may be too closed off in this New York bubble to speak for anyone else but myself. I believe in supporting one another, but in the end, I can only tell you how I feel. And I feel this march was a good start, not the iconic benchmark people are making it out to be.
If this march has solidified anything for me, it’s that everyone has an individual voice that is allowed to be heard. Too big of a collective mindset can only lead to more confusion and chaos, and the same sentiment I hear from women I talk to was that the march could have been more organized. But it’s also important to point out that the turnout was more than anyone anticipated, which is pretty awesome to think about. In the meantime, I’m just going to continue to look for the positives in life and tell you about them. I’m a woman with a voice, and I hope at least someone will hear it. That’s why I marched.
– Gina, who marched in New York City