Inspiring Women Fall 2018

in the empowerment of women and girls. We can ask questions about the processes that
lead to damaging portrayals of women in film and television, about the nature of the
content created and the need for greater representation of women in roles of production,
and how these are all connected.”
The third speaker was Masih Alinejad, who is well known due to her hashtag “My stealthy
freedom” (campaign against compulsory hijab).
Apart from these sessions that I have described briefly, there so was much more happening. I
could tell you about the other FAWCO ladies who attended CSW, the pleasant evening we
spent at a member’s home in Manhattan, the conversations we had, the fact that one FAWCO
delegate brought both her son and teenage daughter along. But I will end with this: At my very
first Morning Briefing on the Tuesday, I sat next to a lady and while waiting we started to talk.
Guess what: She was a delegate from the Swedish UN Association and lives in Gothenburg just
230 km north of our place in Sweden, where I now live. We talked several times during this
extraordinary week, spent the Saturday together discovering NYC and will visit each other soon
because we managed to stay in touch. It’s a small world.
But – of course – the amazing experience of attending
CSW contradicts the small world concept too. Our world
is huge, with thousands of conflicts big and small, with
inconsistent opinions and different beliefs. And despite
the fact that we can communicate with people in every
corner of the globe with a click of a button, the United
Nations organization shows every day again and again
that there is no easy way to negotiate and live with each
other in friendship and peace. But I really felt that this
CSW conference showed that it is worth trying.
Don’t compromise yourself. You’re all
you’ve got. – Janis Joplin
60