As I begin writing my blog post for the new company I intern/part-time work for (we’ll get to them later), I begin to understand the journey that I have been trying to undertake for around 2 years now. Ever since graduating in Art history and Literature I knew the working world was not going to be nice to me. I have sacrificed my dreams at this point to really work on finance and marketing experience. With ticking boxes and the constant need to prove yourself to the majority white men and women it is demanding and time-consuming. Nevertheless, I am super thankful and proud to have even achieved a degree and lived in a country where it is safe and accessible for me to undertake whatever I choose. However, the amount of system failures and constant lack of respect for, LGBTQ+, BAME womxn and Disabled womxn within and outside the creative sector is simply a matter of ticking boxes and it has to stop. Yet with many companies improving in hiring more minorities, where do we see the need for progress in the future?

I am a white-passing woman who understands her position of economical and racial privilege. However, I really want to delve into the perspectives of the industry and what companies actively do to fight for inclusivity, without just simply just saying it and not doing anything about it. In my new position at this creative media company they hired me, and they have told me multiple times, to become more inclusive. In an office full of white, very privileged men I am constantly thrown off by how they talk to me and treat me. Oh, to be looked at as a talented individual for once 😦 . As a creative film company I understand that business comes first, yet their claims to be ‘inclusive’ makes me what to throw up. How can a company like that still exist today? A company that benefits from clients who are majority women and international businesses, yet will not hire one POC, LGBTQ+ or even another cis minority. Ah but YES. I AM the trophy minority in the office! A MIDDLE EASTERN QUEER woman ! God be careful boys she will judge you on your lack of hygiene and seasoning!

So why are these companies lying? It’s not only them I suppose but society and social media who use these trigger words to attract Womxn who have had to work twice as hard under racism, sexism and homophobia. They see our desperation and profit of it. This word INCLUSIVE is being passed around most creative workplaces today, with many companies looking to hire more minorities, it is becoming a lot more accessible. Of course, they cannot hire everyone and whoever gets the position will seemingly have worked for it no matter what gender, race, ability and ethnicity. But I do also see these white cis men, and I see how they navigate towards me and many other female minority creatives. It is time for it to stop. Womxn all have an important voice, and we all understand that every one of us should amplify many other voices that have been silenced and need to be heard. SO DO IT.

Womxn are tired of having to explain our lives and labours to white cis men, we just want to create work’s and spaces that really have potential to support abilities and genders from all backgrounds and faiths. This piece isn’t a hate piece directed towards cis white men. I have a lot of admiration for those who are allying and seeking the truth in their position of privilege. Whether that would be actually taking the time to dedicate communication with communities or even actively working with and striving to involve in companies that pride themselves on doing better and ACTUALLY creating a safe and much more enjoyable environment.

So what is there to be done? We have to continue to be valued, respected, welcomed and treated fairly. No Ifs and Buts. Do we have to work twice as hard to prove our points and work collectively alongside people who may have bias? Possibly. But more importantly we have a CHOICE. As it is International Womxns day, our voice is just one of billions of others creative womxn who have to sacrifice not only themselves but their families. Womxn getting murdered without a blink of justice, having to choose able to choose between feeding your family and studying, the issues for womxn go on and on, through different cultures and communities. Therefore, it is important to ally with Womxn around the world and listen to our voices. We are not asking for a hand out we are looking for an ENGAGEMENT. Businesses have profited of our backs for generations and must realise the consequences of these actions. Our differences make us who we are, but they also blind us as a global community, and we all deserve to be heard and respected, within creative spaces as well as in everyday life.

Break down those barriers and show em what you’re made of.

Spilling the tea since 1996