To The Woman…
To the woman curled up in bed too exhausted to move
To the woman hiding from the world unable to face her fears
To the woman who loved and lost at the hands of her narcissist
To the woman who bit her lip to fight back the tears in the hands of her abuser
To the woman covering the bruises with concealer, and the pain with a forced smile
To the woman beating herself up for her own “stupidity”
To the woman burying years of pain in her womb
To the woman who takes off her clothes to dance for money & lecherous men
To the woman turning a blind eye to money missing from her purse
To the woman who finds it impossible to trust a man
To the woman who won’t let Love in
To the woman doing two and a half jobs whilst raising a small army and building an empire
To the woman losing her mind at the thought of her man leaving her for two days
To the woman fighting for her voice to be heard
To the woman who thinks about screaming but can barely raise her voice above a whisper
To the woman who has been penetrated against her will
To the woman too scared to be on her own
To the woman who dies inside every time she has to get undressed in front of her man
To the woman who claws at her skin because she loathes her body so much
To the woman with her fingers down her throat on the bathroom floor
To the woman numbing out with pills, and wine, and drugs
To the woman who has written thousands of unsent messages
To the woman who feels like a disappointment to everyone around her
To the woman who calls herself a fraud
To the woman still harbouring deep secrets
To the woman who rolled her eyes at the “me too” campaign because that was easier than admitting “she too”
To the woman who feels like she will never amount to anything
To the woman who has yearned for death & danced with suicide
To the woman who knows the inside of a padded room
To the woman who bleeds alone in a silent room with only the voice of her own self-abuse for company
To the woman who hates her life and can’t seem to catch a break
To the woman who carries nauseating anxiety around with her all-day
To the woman who desperately wishes she could be someone else
…
To the woman, who, at the peak of her life, in marriage, money, and mission, needs to take two mental health days to heal her deepest wounds of abuse and anxiety
…
To all of these women, today might not feel like a day to celebrate. Today might be another at eye roll at best. Today I don’t want to celebrate all the women who have made our Planet great in some way. I want to celebrate all of you still here, still coping, still healing, and still somehow putting one foot in front of the other. The Patriarchy obliterated so many of us, in so many unseen ways, I often wonder if the healing will ever be completed, if we will ever be free.
There’s plenty I don’t share. There are layers of pain and abuse underneath the Priestess crown. All of the women I speak to above exist within me. I have been all of these women at some point or other in my life. In fact, that last address was to me just this week (you may have noticed I disappeared from social media for a few days).
I see you, I hear you, I feel you, I’m with you.
And finally…
To the woman too scared to hit ‘publish’ on her truth. This one is for you.
If the million-dollar Priestess with her ‘perfect life’ needs to take mental health days to heal her shit, then you can too. We’re all wounded. But we’re here. And that deserves a celebration.
Happy International Woman’s Day. Tomorrow, I have something to say to the men.
In the meantime, a little recognition for the women at Ask Harriette HQ who kept shit rolling seamlessly in my absence. They launched our tech packages, woohoo! Ellie… and Mia… I love you. If you know them, email support@askharriette.co.uk and show them a little love too, I’d really appreciate it!
My love always
Harriette