• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, March 7, 2018

It’s International Women’s Day Eve. 

And agencies’ creative cups runneth over with brilliant campaigns celebrating women. For a sampling, check out my colleague Larissa Faw’s story here. It’s one of several pieces she’s written on the subject, with more to come. 

No doubt it’s good to celebrate women and their accomplishments. 

And for the lunkheads who might be wondering, why there isn’t an International Men’s Day, I think most of us know the answer. (Spoiler alert: Every day is International Men’s Day.)

The point is women ought to be celebrated, treated equally and with respect, every day. Just like men are. Yes, we've made progress to that end. Obviously not enough. And it's good to have to a day to remind us all of that point.  

One interesting piece of work that Larissa reports on is an effort from New Honor Society -- “Sorry Jar.”  It’s a twist on the swear jar. You know, every time you say you’re sorry, you put a dollar (or whatever) into the jar. 

As Larissa reports: “The female-led creative shop wants women to place jars in their workplaces as a reminder to say what they really mean, without apologizing.” 

That’s such a brilliant reminder of the courage its takes to stand up and assert yourself for whatever you believe in. It's not easy for many, and it's true for everybody. Speak your mind. Sometimes you’ll be lauded, other times not so much. In the case of the latter, learn from the experience. That’s how everybody gets ahead in the world. 

Well, it’s certainly how men get ahead in the world. And I think, increasingly, how women can get ahead in the world, as well.