8 Feminist Resolutions That We Can All Get Down With For 2018

New year = new plans to dismantle the patriarchy.

1. Read, watch, and listen to more women.

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Make a list at the beginning of the year of books you want to read, and commit to making sure at least half of the titles are written by women writers. Do the same with women-directed films and women musicians. Because a more representative view of culture and art is something we can all toast to at midnight, amirite??

2. Say "no" more often.

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Us ladies tend to take on an enormous amount of emotional labor as a default: we'll listen patiently to a whole host of friends and their problems, take on the role of caregiver in almost any situation, and generally constantly monitor social situations to make sure everyone around you is comfortable and okay and unthreatened by your opinions/feelings/body.

In 2018, let's stop making that a default — and focus on doing the things we truly want to do. There's only so many hours in the day, and if we aren't prioritizing the things that are truly important, we're just spending valuable energy in places that don't need or deserve it.

3. Make peace with your body.

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Whether you're dealing with cellulite, sagging parts or sub-optimal body measurements, make peace with the imperfectly wonderful body you have and treat yourself the way you'd treat your BFF. It's not a perfect machine, but it's your machine.

4. Spend more time with your ladies.

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Women's friendships are basically some kind of ancient mystical magic, and so make this the year that you intentionally dedicate time to spending with them. Stop putting off that road trip, and schedule a weekly Google Calendar appointment if you have to. By surrounding yourself with your girl gang, you'll be in for a guaranteed truly amazing year.

5. Support other women in the office.

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Even if you aren't in a position of leadership, strive to recognize the achievements of the women around you and value their work. Take an intern under your wing, or ask a more senior manager if they'd like to be your mentor. Remember: other women aren't the competition — they're our allies.

6. Push for small changes.

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We aren't going to take down the patriarchy all at once, but chances are that there's at least a few things you can tackle right now: Ask for a raise, collaborate with other women, or demand that your office supply tampons and pads in the bathroom. The good thing is that there are a million (at least) ways to push for change, and all you have to do to start is to pick one.

7. Speak up.

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Speak up and stand up for yourself — and all women. Whether out of financial, physical, or personal risk, countless women around the world aren't able to advocate for themselves. It's up to the rest of us to speak up on their behalf.

8. Accept that there's no such thing as a perfect feminist — and use that as a reason to constantly educate yourself.

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We can't be feminists and only pay attention to the needs of affluent white women, while leaving behind the needs of working women, women of color, or trans women. That is, we can't be feminists without constantly challenging and educating ourselves — so let's make 2018 the year we work on that even harder.

This post was translated from Spanish.

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