There are beautifully empowering things happening in the world right now, and media especially is starting to take the reigns on this. From the biggest achievements where a woman of color won an Oscar, being the first woman to do so as a director, to smaller filmmakers embedding their mark on society, the change is prominent and powerful.
On April 28, the gorgeous short film, Her Way, was showcased at a private viewing.
The film tells the story of three different women, across countries, all from different backgrounds who gracefully dismissed what society told them to be.
“What’s important in my life is to make my own decisions, and not be held back by someone else’s belief.”
As unique as they are, the common denominator was this:
They all turned away who society told them to be, and turned toward who society told them they could not be. Void of concern toward judgement, they decided to respond to the passions that called their hearts. It was never about making a big splash or trying to be a feminist symbol. It was simply a story about women being who they are.
People, being who they are.
WATCH: HER WAY
Fell +Co was the brilliant marketing company behind the film, with Kirsten Gerber, a producer explaining that “it’s not about putting women on a pedestal, but about taking the pedestal away and allowing equal opportunities to do anything in life we choose. The authenticity of the film is captured by its three characters and how they resonate with us as women.”
The film was made in line with the company Salomon’s, WMN campaign, which is a campaign only released every two years that tells beautiful empowering stories.
The stories told are that of Chinese-born Nancy Jiang who lives in New Zealand and is a kickass queen of mountains, competing in trail running as an athlete despite being told as a child “Chinese people do not run.” She’s also an incredible engineer, and the only female one in her team at that.
Then there’s the USA’s Melody Buck Forsyth who is one of the warmest caregivers you’ll ever see. She too is a conqueror of mountains, despite “getting looks on the trail” because she might not fit the hiker stereotype. Add the fact that she takes her family with her, including her little girl Ruby who was born with down syndrome but loves the trails, and you see someone who not only embraces her passions, but revels in igniting those loves in others.
Lastly there’s the shining gem and protector of mountains, South Africa’s heroine Vuyiseka Arendse who is a part of the Juliet Crew, the all-female firefighting legends. She’s the breadwinner of her family and a fearless woman. She began volunteering as a firefighter at just 19 as a single mother to change the course of her life, despite people often saying she could not be in a line of work reserved for males.
Her Way is a short, powerful and emotive film that will inspire you to be exactly who you are, and that is your superpower.
Picture: Supplied