March is nationally recognized as Women’s History Month, and observing it means so much more than simply hugging your mother or getting your girlfriend gas station flowers. It is a 31-day celebration of everything women have contributed to society, despite the ringer they are put through on a daily basis. Women’s History Month is meant to remind us that without women, the world as we know it would cease to exist.
Women are responsible for creating what is doubtlessly the most important aspect of humanity: humans. Despite your evolutionary beliefs, it is impossible to deny that women are the apex creator of us humble homosapians. That being said, hugging your mother is not a bad idea, just so long as it is done with the love and appreciation she deserves. After all, mothers do so much more than just create us.
“My mom knows what I need, and she gets it done,” says sophomore Talan Lipka on the vital role mothers play in our lives.
“I am very appreciative of her.”
All women, not just mothers, have a knack for combining instinct, sensitivity, and intelligence in all that they do, making their role in society much more vital than people give them credit for. Motherhood makes up such a minute fraction of everything women contribute to this world. American inventor Anna Connelly has saved countless lives with her invention of the fire escape. Austrian-American inventor and actress Hedy Lamarr created the blueprint for Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth with her “Frequency Hopping” system, a crucial invention during World War II and for modern lifestyles. Princess Diana of Wales used her spot in the limelight to advocate for marginalized populations, famously correcting misconceptions about AIDs in the 1980s with hugs, handshakes, and her compassionate yet powerful voice. Even in the big ‘26, Women’s History Month maintains its importance, as it sheds light on all that women do for the world at large, and the struggles they overcome on the way.
“The patriarchy is still very much in effect,” says sophomore Jane Lewis.
“Women are still paid less, women are still systemically viewed as less, and they still can’t get jobs as easily. Women’s History Month is important because as much as people want to think we’ve already overcome everything, we’re still very much facing adversity.”
Students at Chesterton High School are acknowledging both the celebratory and contemplative aspects of women’s place in society this month, a practice that can ultimately lead to the realization that there is no specific “place” for women, or anyone else, to simply sit still and look pretty. As unfortunate as it is that this fact must be repeated so many times, women can, in fact, do anything men can do, with the addition of open minds, persistence, and style.
“We are very intelligent, and we are very independent,” says sophomore Aarohi Agashe.
“We are strong and resilient. We don’t back down, and we stand up for what’s right.”
These truths are self-evident in every woman you will ever meet. Whether she is young or old, rich or poor, black or white, kind or cruel, dead or alive, the women of the world hold an immense power that each taps into in her own way. Sophomore Porter Fowler picked up the book “The Power of Women” by Dr. Denis Mukwege, and has been keenly studying its contents, learning more and more about what makes the women in his life so wonderful.
“That picture is worth a thousand words,” says Fowler on the portrait of him with his current read.
Women’s History Month illustrates the appreciation so many feel for the women in their life, as well as a chance to reflect on the many reasons why this appreciation is so prevalent. Thirty-one days of celebration may feel like a long time, but it does not compare to the centuries women spent oppressed, nor the lifelong battles many are still forced to endure. However, the spirit of feminine admiration will live on in many for much longer than the month of March, and CHS is proud to be home to so many of these progressive, empathetic individuals.
