#letslead

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What comes once a year covered in pink hearts and candy, with companies pushing their romantic, overpriced activities to couples (and singles)? Or rather, I should ask, what holiday doesn’t come once a year with commercialization taking a free reign over our lives? With the overwhelming advertisements, pressure to put yourself into a box about your relationship status and sometimes, even thoughts about how maybe we should just do away with the day altogether… … the cynic in me tended to agree with these views because let’s face it, Valentine’s day ever since Cupid shot his first arrow was intended to celebrate romantic love. But at some point I thought to myself.. wait a minute. “Love is a many splendored thing..” okay, okay, I didn’t think that right away — but it’s true. Love is a spectrum of so many types of love we’ve chosen to overlook celebrating, and maybe it’s time to stop taking them so much for granted. Maybe it’s time to fight back against commercialization and prove that true love really does conquer all — even 50% off on all pink items at Clothing Store XYZ. When we think of classic princess Disney stories, what always pops into our heads are the damsels in distress and the “true love’s kisses” that stem only from romantic relationships. Back in the 1960’s, Barbie had only one ethnicity and one body type (not to mention legs that simply wouldn’t stay upright without heels on).But the world is changing, and with it companies have no choice but to change the way they think too! Frozen depicted how sisterly love can break an evil curse. Disney’s live-action remake of Sleeping Beauty “Maleficent” showed how we take for granted a kind of love that is so close to us: the love of our parents and guardians.A time in which Barbie’s biggest companion was Ken, and her most promising career depended on her outer beauty is coming to a close only because people spoke up about their disdain for the narrow-minded representation of the dolls: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/30/new-barbie-dolls-fashionistas-ripping-off-heads-femininity By all means, don’t miss the chance to celebrate this day with your significant other. But don’t miss out on the chance to celebrate love in a rainbow of ways either. Here are 3 ways you can beat the heat that will burn your pockets this valentine’s day:1. Do something special for your family — the only people who will definitely stand by your side no matter how much your mascara isn’t “on fleek”. But no, seriously. Plan an outing with your family, it doesn’t even have to cost any money:  http://traveltriangle.com/blog/free-things-to-do-in-dubai/. There’s nothing better than feeling like no matter what, you’re not alone in this world.2. Away from family? No problem. Take the time to appreciate yourself for all that you’ve done or make a list of all the things you’ve accomplished in life. Sing at the top of your lungs. Dance like nobody’s watching. Show yourself some love, for a change!3. Celebrate friendship. Remember Galentine’s Day that Leslie Knope celebrated on the TV show Parks & Recreation? There’s no rule that says you only have to send clichéd friendship messages on Whatsapp on the umpteen friendship days that exist. Being in the friend zone is sometimes way too underrated if you ask me.If you’re looking at all of this and going *cringe* “I’d rather pretend this day didn’t exist.. hey, that’s alright too! In the words of Rumi: ‘Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it”*mic drop*

On our #SuperwomanSunday we are celebrating Nayla Al Khaja, She is UAE's first female director. According to the Arabian Business, Nayla has done five short films. She owns a production company D-SEVEN. Through her films, Nayal touches most on social issues and has won several awards for her work. In 2011 Canon Middle East announced Nayla Al Khaja as its brand ambassador in 2011. You can check more about her on the following link: https://goo.gl/vijVyh

-  www.facebook.com/letslead.ae/posts/1871529676425873

Chief Margaret Ekpo is a common name to the feminists in Nigeria. She single handedly captivated not only the women but also the imagination of the entire nation throughout her political career. Ekpo was not always keen on politics; in fact she only stepped into the world of politics purely by chance.Ekpo’s early passions were more along the line of teaching. However, fate at this point was not on her side and due to the sudden passing of her father she was forced to abandon her education with only her Grade 6 certificates. Since her education was incomplete her dreams of attending a teachers training college were done for. But she did not let this set back deter her from moving forward. She settled for smaller tutoring jobs in order to continue chasing her passions. Take notes ladies.In 1945, her husband, Dr. Ekpo, was miffed with the prejudiced practices of the colonial administrators at the Aba General Hospital. Due to his position as a civil servant, he was unable to attend the protest rallies against such practices and so he just sent his wife. These meetings and rallies are what invoked the lioness within Ekpo.Margaret Ekpo is known for being one of three women appointed to the House of Chiefs, in the 1950s. After attending a few of these rallies (kindly acknowledge that Margaret was the only woman at these events) Ekpo noticed that women were blissfully unaware and detached from the political and social aspects of the Nigerian society. Hence to increase women participation in the society Ekpo went on to form National Council of Nigerian Citizens women’s wing, in order to educate women. As Ekpo’s career in civil rights advanced Ekpo rightfully speculated that women abroad had more of a say in political and civil matters than their equivalents in Nigeria. And she thought to herself, “well that’s not right.” And this is where she started her movement to get more women involved and aware on political and social matters of the society.Ekpo was intensely shrewd and sharp. She proved this when the women in her community would not attend meetings and events because their husbands would forbid them. Being the insightful lady that she was she came up with an ingenious method. She bought all the salt from the local stores and only sold it back only to the women who attended her meetings. We all know that salt is essential to all recipes and so the men in the community had no other choice but to let their wives be a part of Ekpo’s posse.Ekpo particularly piqued my interest because the woman was a total badass. Margaret was strong willed and completely audacious in terms of the risks she took. Some of her moves were so down right daring that even politicians today (- yes, I’m hinting at Trump) would think twice before taking such bold steps.The one thing that I take away from Ekpo’s story is that hustle isn’t just working on the things you like or are passionate about, it means doing the things you don’t enjoy so you can do the things you love. Ekpo had a love for teaching and reaching out to people who were less knowledgeable than herself and she did so without having a degree or any background in politics. That’s what I call a real ace in the pack!

Check out the article linked below to look at some facts about Michelle Obama and to see all that she has achieved through the years -  https://www.facebook.com/letslead.ae/posts/1868513200060854

Ameera Bin Karam was a successful businesswoman, unique leader, and rich personality who was bent on giving and sacrificing for the sake of the country. She will always be remembered as a pioneering change maker in the field of women’s empowerment.