#newyearsresolution

Because God knows we need some inspo after 2017. 

For many, 2017 was an exhausting year. If it had a physical form, 2017 was one of those arcade sideshow games rigged in favour of you never winning. It was rain on a day when sunshine was forecast. It was coming home from the grocery store with everything but the one thing you actually went in for. 

Whilst there were certainly some wins, what with the global #MeToo campaign marking a mass cultural conversation on the reality and ubiquity of sexual harassment and assault, and the same sex marriage survey resulting in a “Yes” vote for Australia changing the laws on marriage equality, these campaigns and dialogues can come at a mental health cost for those they most affect. A big thank you goes out to all the LGBTQIA+ activists and feminists out there - yes, it can be exhausting, but also, so, so rewarding when you check in with what drove you towards the movement in the first place. 

To reinvigorate the energy tank, we figure that a new year marks the opportunity for reflection and renewal, and to kick things off we at Young Optimist asked five awesome young feminists what they have in mind for 2018…

1/5 Katie Stow (left), 23, Online News & Entertainment Writer for Cosmopolitan, Harper’s BAZAARandElle Magazine

What are your personal or professional goals for 2018?
This year I really want to focus on putting out more feminist, opinionated pieces at work, driving bigger, important conversations that may be difficult to pitch and get across the line, but need to be heard. On a personal level, I really want to reach legitimate happiness about my body. I feel like a lot of the time I am somewhat faking my body positivity, but I want to actually be proud of it. I think how I’m going to get there is learning more and more about what my body can actually do - everything from basic biological functions to how much weight I can squat. 

In terms of your feminism, what do you see as your main priority within the movement for 2018?
My main focus is to become more informed about women’s mental health. I know that it’s a problem for men too, but I really want to know how to uplift and support my friends (and strangers) who struggle with personal mental health battles so that they can continue being brilliant feminists who help with the movement in 2018.

In 2018, I’d like to do more… one on one dinner dates with my girlfriends, so I can fully commit to listening and supporting them and give them the undivided attention they deserve.

I want to leave behind in 2017… silence surround sexual assault. I am so excited about the #timesup movement and have been so proud of all the brave women of the #metoo movement so I hope that the world doesn’t give up on these voices, and that more and more abusers are brought to light and punished for their actions.

Photo by Leah McIntosh for Liminal. 

2/5Madison Griffiths, 23, artist, poet, writer 

I have a few larger projects I’d really like to commit to properly this year; many of which are vastly different to one another. I’d also like to establish a more secure income, which is a little bit of a romantic line of thinking, perhaps. But it’s worth aiming toward!

On a personal level, I’d like to put my money where my mouth is in 2018. A New Years resolution called ‘be a better person’ seems broad, but I’d really like to volunteer, donate, and commit to particular social organisations I feel are doing a great job. It is important to look at how social issues dissociate from one another at a grassroots level. Stop the truck packed with wedged piglets, attend the rallies, refrain from using as many plastic bags!

3/5 Himalee Sah Raj, 24, works at an NGO, moderator for an intersectional feminist group, starting a law degree this year 

What are your personal or professional goals for 2018?
Taking on full time work and part time study next year will undoubtedly be a balancing act. My key priority in this journey to come is to be kind to myself, recognise my limitations and to respect them rather than be ashamed of them. 

Being kind to myself is my general goal, and validating my thoughts and feelings rather than punishing myself for not thinking or feeling what I’m “supposed” to. I want to learn to ignore the often toxic messages that surround us about success and wellness and set my own standards for doing well. It’s okay to feel lonely; it doesn’t mean you’ve failed at solitude. It’s okay to feel sad; it doesn’t mean you’re not trying hard enough.

In terms of your feminism, what do you see as your main priority within the movement for 2018?
My priority within the feminist movement next year is to mobilise more and increase my offline feminist participation and activism. I am interested in being part of a feminist project and making more IRL feminist friends. 

I would also like to engage more with men about feminism. Apart from face-to-face engagement with men in my life, I think that in general, young men need more spaces to discuss, learn about and participate in the movement. A few of my friends and I have a pipe dream of making an online intersectional feminist space inclusive of cis men, though thinking about how to keep the space safe is rather daunting.  

In 2018, I’d like to do more of… Hiking! Dancing! Swimming!

I want to leave behind in 2017…  My main resolution for 2018 is to stop apologising needlessly. I am an avid apologiser; if someone bumps into me, I will apologise. This year, I started full time work in a professional environment and found myself perpetually apologising; starting questions with “sorry to bother you”, or “sorry, but where do we keep the…”. As the sorries of 2017 flew left right and centre, I noticed they were slowly making me feel increasingly small, meek and incompetent, all the things a young woman must fight against as being perceived. So my goal is to ditch the sorries.

4/5Kirsty Webeck, 35, comedian, radio host, writer

What are your personal or professional goals for 2018?
My goal for 2018 is to be more discerning about how I spend my time. I was more exhausted and miscellaneously flustered at the end of 2017 than I ever have been before in my life. I plan to spend a lot more time on self-care, get back into daily meditations and plan my first holiday in over three years.

Professionally, I’m working on my new show and tour. I’m hoping to write my best show yet and work it up to a state that I’d be happy to take it to Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. I’ve already got a lot of exciting projects on the agenda for 2018 and I’m excited about finally launching my podcast, ‘Lucid Themes with Kirsty Webeck’ which was supposed to launch in 2017 but got derailed by work on the same sex marriage postal survey. Now that that’s over (what a relief), I’ve got time to be productively creative again.

In terms of your feminism, what do you see as your main priority within the movement for 2018?
My main priority is really pushing intersectionality and transinclusive feminism. I’m also really interested in creating more professionally and physically safe spaces for women within the comedy industry. I’m also on a massive mission to really promote women and non-binary creators and have people take more steps towards boosting them up.

I’ve got some real fire in my belly after the events of last year and I’ll be working very hard to educate where I can, too. I’ve always used the stage as a means to address serious issues, with gender and sexuality equality being big topics for me, this year will be bigger than ever.

In 2018, I’d like to do more of… the things I love doing. Travel, sports, time with people I love, reading, seeing live music, getting out into nature.

I want to leave behind in 2017… pretty much everything to do with it outside of my professional life. I had a really great year in comedy and was afforded so many wonderful experiences. Outside of that 2017 was a binfire for me.

5/5 Carrie Hou, 23, law student, activist, freelance writer for Junkee,New MatildaandSBS

In 2017, I saw women giving so much from the #metoo campaign to Indigenous deaths in custody to decriminalising abortion to marriage equality. It was on us to prove our existence and oppression, serving up our vulnerabilities on a public platter in order to prove that the world is still wholly unfair for women, especially women of colour, LGBTQIA+ women and disabled women. A combination of compassion fatigue and not feeling as if we were doing enough was a strong feeling I and a lot of other feminists experienced.

So in 2018, just remember that News Years resolutions are weird capitalist goal setting bullshit, and not achieving your personal or political ambitions does not mean you’re failing nor do they define your self worth. Life is complex, politics can be shitty and progress does not always look like a straight line. You won’t always be in the space, whether it be materially or mentally, to give back or be productive and that is OK. If you are in a space, whether it be materially or mentally, to give back and make a change then do so generously.

Just remember that feminism is simple when you know how to be empathetic. Listening, supporting and platforming women reaching out or rarely heard is enough.

What are your goals for 2018? Submit via our Message Us link so we can share with everyone, and we can motivate and inspire each other! 

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