This International Women's Day, I'm deciding to highlight the kinds of women and girls in our world we tend to forget about, maybe not even realise are there at all. Like...

The woman that got that dream pixie cut, and now constantly gets called sir.

The girl that's scared to leave the house for fear of being ogled and judged by others.

The woman with cerebral palsy who needs an AAC device to speak.

The girl that just got her first period and thinks she's dying in the middle of geography because her mum never gave her The Talk.

The woman that has to hold her bladder until she gets home because people will give her dirty looks in the public toilets.

The girl who's changed her mind about buying that gorgeous skirt because it shows her stomach rolls.

The woman who has to secretly self-harm under her sleeves to get her stims out, because she just got called the R-word for flapping.

The girl who finally took a chance and kissed her best friend.

The woman who turned off her hearing aid to shut out the noise of catcalling.

The girl who got dragged into a war that's not her fault, and just took her last breath.

The woman that only realised yesterday that she is one.

We all deserve respect. We all deserve kindness, and patience, and space to grow. Let's honour our fellow humans all year round, not just the one day that calls for it by name.

I love you all.