[Editorial] Editor’s Note: Fight Like a Final Girl: Happy International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day has come around and it’s the perfect excuse to remind ourselves of the power, passion and sheer brilliance that we exude every day, and to remind those around us just how talented, smart and badass they are. 

Being a woman hasn’t always been easy, and there are certainly many troubles and struggles that we still have to go through on a daily basis. But the thing is, we don’t stop fighting the good fight, which just goes to show the almighty strength that we have and how we continuously battle against all odds to make the world a better place for ourselves, our fellow women and for those women that will come after us too. 

My parents always taught me to be irrevocably myself, and to never ever stop fighting for the things I wanted in this life. My mother was a true inspiration for me when I was younger; she was exactly everything that I wanted to be - determined, intelligent, assertive, kind, hardworking, and tender with a smile that brightened every room and an aura that could instantly lift a bad mood. But most importantly, she was always just herself, and never apologised to anyone for being who she was. Looking up to her as a child taught me that I did not need to conform to society’s expectations of who I was supposed to be, there did not need to be anything or anyone stopping me from being a tomboy jumping into thorn bushes by day and a high-heeled fashion obsessed woman by night, I could be and do exactly as I pleased if it made me happy. Admittedly, there have always been struggles along the way and as a woman I have encountered my fair share of traumatic experiences, from being bullying for my weight at school to being taken advantage of by men, there have always been experiences that made me question whether being a woman was worth the hassle that came with it. 

With even those times scratched into my skin, over the years I have come to realise that no matter what gender, sexuality, race or religion you are, there is no escaping from the ignorant douchebags that exist and instead of allowing them to get you down, you just have to remember to fight like a final girl, which is exactly what I’ve always done. No matter how tough things get, I think of the inspirational women that have brought me to the place in my life I am now; my mother, my grandmother, my mother-in-law, my kickass friends and even the horror characters that gave me the inspiration to be a hard-hitting bitch that doesn’t let people get the better of them. Buffy Summers will always hold a special place in my heart; she was truly the first strong female character that I saw on-screen who gave me the courage to be strong and powerful, but allowed to have emotions that often dictated the decisions I made in life. For me, she was a powerhouse of a character that was flawed in so many ways, which made her all the more perfect to me. After that came onslaught of other women in horror that all gave me some form of inspiration; Asami from Audition, Mary in American Mary, Lola in The Loved Ones, Ripley in Alien, Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Erin in You’re Next and so many others. 

There are still always going to be struggles for us women, and unfortunately they won’t be completely eradicated anytime soon, but that’s why we have to keep fighting for what we believe in. We are powerful in our own rights, and I’m so honoured to be surrounded by so many talented and incredible women that support one another, raise each other up and are the biggest cheerleaders that a girl could ever need. So for all of the women out there who deserve to be celebrated today, and every other fucking day of the year: Happy International Women’s Day, may you continue to fight like a fucking final girl until the day you die!

Love and guts,

Zoë xxx

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