Oh I am so glad for the strides that we as women have made, and that I don't have to wear a girdle!!! Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Well-behaved women rarely make history!

good article!!

I have conflicted memories of the International Women's Day in my home country growing up - all women would receive flowers on this day (teachers, Moms, etc) but their daily contributions would often go unnoticed during the rest of the year. There was an amazing women's right march in Seattle on Saturday - I did enjoy that kind of celebration!

Very powerful images and thoughts.

ROAR!

Westward Ho' Women!!!! Onward and forward I say!!! Great topic!!!

thanks to all the strong women who have fought for our rights.

I think that's very cool that you celebrated Passover with "The Four Daughters", Michelle. I am inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi who fights with dignity and a silence that is deafening.

We Women Rock!!

Florence Nightingale was a woman WAY ahead of her time. Now that I look back on it, so was my mom.

Good article ! Thanks Michelle :) Congrats yours as well !

Happy women day!

I didn't know about this day. Thank you for spreading the word!

This is great, let's hope that women's condition will improve drastically around the world this year! I just read an article this morning about a 16 year old girl who had been buried alive because she had talked to some boys in Turkey. Of course this is not representative of the population there at all. I just think it is a good (however appalling) example of the difficult road still ahead in the fight for women's right!

Oh and thanks for the great picks :)

Word. A few of my inspirations from childhood: Helen Keller Mae West Emily Dickinson Scarlet O'Hara Lucille Ball Artemis Charlotte Corday

Hey thanks Michelle for the great post and neat finds. I'm definitely going to start thinking about the women that have inspired me; besides my own mother of course! Perfect line of thinking for new portraits! Now I'm REALLY anxious to get the one done that I've started of Jane Austen. :)

Thank you for reporting on this, Michelle. Glad to be a woman living in modern times. I hope that future generations of girls and women only have to read about sexism and prejudice in their history books.

I am very happy to be a part of Etsy community. A lot of talented, smart and hard working ladies here. Yay! :)

Great article! It's a wonderful day to celebrate our achievements thus far, and to contemplate our evolving roles in all realms of this ever-changing world...

Happy day for women!!!!Long live happily all women in the world!

Happy women day! ^^

Woman Power!

Beautiful article, Michelle! All Etsy women are very inspiring to me! Almost every featured seller I read about is a very powerful headstrong woman determined woman. Yay for dreams!

I grew up with two sisters as well.... best bunch o' babes out there!! Go women!!!!

go Etsy ladies!

Happy Women Day! I wish all women around the world have their freedom and rights as we have..

Girl Power! And the first woman director got an Oscar last night!

I've been inspired and mentored by many creative teachers, artists, and curators! Oh yes, and they're all women!

thanks for such a good article!!

happy women day

Thanks for celebrating Women's Day Etsy!

simone de beauvoir had definitely inspired me.

wonderful dedication to women. Mostly I'm inspired by your everyday woman of the past that have overcome so much so that women of today have the oppurtunites we do.

“How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself.” - Anais Nin We Women Rock!

My mom. She's a real heroine.

Happy Women's Day!!

Girl Power!!! Great article as always!

Cheers!

Personally I would prefer Every Day inclusion, acknowledgment, and respect. I would prefer Every Day equality. I would like to turn on the TV or radio and not hear about the dialing back of womens' rights and freedoms in America while women elsewhere haven't even gotten this far. I'd like women to quit thinking we've made it and we're done. That's my wish for International Women's Day. Nellie Bly, Caroline Herschel, Frida Kahlo, Helen Hunt Jackson, Sappho, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, Pearl S. Buck, Calamity Jane, Joan Baez, Deborah Samson, Virginia McClurg, George Sand, Mary Shelley, Grainne O'Malley, Lady Murasaki, Ani DiFranco... beautiful drops in the bucket.

i love the first picture. and the title. Yay women! though i expected to see item related to the photo when I clicked. All well..

I'm inspired by all the honorable women throughout history that have really paved the road for us to live in our time today. And I believe that we can reach newer levels of gender equality all over the world in the years to come! Happy Women's Day!!

Happy woman's day! I am glad it is celebrated on Etsy as where I live not many people care about it today. :(

Or shall I correct myself. It's not that people here don't care about Woman's day but probably don't know it on today's date.

We've come a long way baby but we still have a ways to go! My inspirations... Frida Kahlo Mary Jane Coulter Starhawk Katherine Hepburn

I'm currently inspired by the first woman, Kathryn Bigelow, to win best director at the Academy Awards yesterday! I hope we keep smashing through those glass ceilings!

Women rock! (-:

Nicely timed article. Last night a great stride was achieved. The first woman to win the Oscar for best director. Women have been directing in Hollywood for decades. It's nice to see recognition for one of them finally.

Thank you for acknowledging International Women's Day! We've come a long way, baby....or have we? We are still under represented in the employment hierarchy and pay scale, we still do double duty...I still can't help celebrate me, as a woman, and to share this celebration with others. We are! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19927511

Daniellexo, I think we were thinking about and typing the Kathryn Bigelow reference at the same time!;)

whooraw! Love this! Happy International Women's day!

Excellent! Thank you for recognizing the importance of women!

Girls rule and boys drool!

Go Girl Power..:o) It was really so inspiring to see Katheryn bag the best director award... truly amazing!! :)

Happy Women's Day to all of the super talented Etsy Women!

I also have to mention my personal idols growing up and being the book work that I was: George Elliott, Jane Austen and Elizabeth Barett Browning. And of course, my mother and all mothers everywhere, always.:)

Ani Difranco--what a righteous babe!

Great article. Thank you, Michelle. Happy Women's Day!

wow! Happy women's day!! :)

I am inspired by Willa Cather. Not only was she a great example, but her novels are so empowering for women as well.

Yes, Happy Women's Day madames! Inspirations: Frida, Coco Chanel, Edith Piaf

I belong to a group of women who get together every Sunday afternoon to work on projects, share what we've been doing, teach each other new crafts...Most of the women are members of Pacific Northwest Coast tribes, and the wisdom I have learned from them over the past couple of years of Sundays has spilled over into all aspects of my life. These women are strong, kind, and open. I've learned that "Women's Work" is not a degrading term, but a source of pride and honor. I've learned to weave with them, and in the process learned so much about myself...I wrote more about it here: http://www.cdljewelry.com/index.php?cid=211

Oh and congratulations to Kathryn Bigelow for the first woman director to win an Oscar.

Who's inspiring? The women who weren't afraid to stand up for what they believed in to fight for what was right, the ones who speak their minds, take a risk, and live the life they want - the ones who's names we remember & the ones we never knew. The women in my family; they may not be famous but have helped shape who I am & make me want to be an inspiration for my own daughter.

Mostly inspired by unknown simple everyday hardworking women, which give uniterested love without been noticed. They are the ones who quietly move the world foward! ...Happy Day!

What a lovely, vibrant portrait by annabronwyn to depict the color and strength shown by so many talented women who have helped shape the world in which we live! I hate to even think what life would be like without my sisters, mother, daughter and women friends who share their love and talent with me on a daily basis! Cheers to all of us.

you go girl! :)

Happy day girls :D

GO LADIES!

happy woman day to you all!!

happy day to all women.....

What a vibrant portrait, I just love it. I'm so glad I got to grow up with an awesome feminist mom who always made me believe that I could be anything I wanted to be, and go anywhere I want to go with my life. She still inspires me and supports me daily.

Happy Day lovely women around the glob. I intentionally released my new necklace" Today "In the time of the butterflies" to honor all the women who are making difference to out world.

What a fun day ! Wow ~ Thanks. :)

A lovely blog created by one of our own etsy artist http://www.etsy.com/shop/RosemaryManufacture featured more etsy artist to help celebrate this day! http://rosemarysmanufacture.blogspot.com/2010/03/monday-moodboard-for-8th-of-march.html

Let's not become complacent in our own privileged lives. Let's not forget all the women of the world who suffer oppression daily. Let's not forget to support other women who are part of our daily lives. Let's not forget that our time here is limited and Let's not forget that we can do something just one small thing helps.

May we all celebrate our inner stregnth and creativity on this day!

I hope next year Etsy celebrates V-day to prevent violence against women. For so many women that are on Etsy, and so many who have been stricken with violent acts, I think it would be great to put our creative efforts in support of a cause that enforces that "women should spend their lives creating and thriving rather than surviving or recovering from terrible atrocities."

Thank you.

I almost forgot..my mom told me this morning happy day,etsy ladies!

Thank you for reminding us all to honor ourselves, the women around us, and the women that came before us! Even something simple as being able to have my shop here on Etsy wouldn't have been possible without the pioneering efforts of older generations of women! Now let's take that positive energy and inspiration and use to help ALL women be healthy, happy, and EQUAL!!

"You start out happy that you have no hips or boobs. All of a sudden you get them, and it feels sloppy. Then just when you start liking them, they start drooping." ~Cindy Crawford

you go girls!

Happy day to us ! Great article !

What a day to be a lady!!!!

Happy day to us!! :-)) Lovely article. Lolo :-)

Virginia Woolf

Angelica Kauffmann

Great article! Who inspires me? Audrey Hepurn - an expert in that art of being a woman in so many ways!

Dorothy Parker, Betty Hutton, Abigail Adams, George Elliot

Adrienne Rich was a great inspiration to me. I love her idea of a "gender continuum" that allows men and women to interact more playfully and freely with ideas of gender. And gotta send some love to Carol Young, a surrogate mother of mine and the good friend who has been my mentor since the beginning of Moonpads. Go Ladies!

W-O-M-A-N Proud 2 B

Yay Women!! We rock!!!! What would those men do without us? Haha!!

Very nice article! Thank you!

Go Etsy Ladies!!

Great article:) Angelina Jolie is a great inspiration - mother, carreer, social implications... My blog post this morning is all about this International Women's Day - you're welcome to leave your comments there as well:) http://verredesign.blogspot.com/2010/03/youve-come-long-way-baby-happy-birthday.html We've come a long way ladies, let's celebrate! Take care, Patricia

going to celebrate this and st. patricks by having a blended whiskey (Jameson?) while bf looks at me curiously. thanks to all who provided equal gender rights... and equal drinking rights for all!

Happy women day!

Yea us! Offer random acts of kindness to a fellow sister today and every day!

Happy's women's day!

So proud to be a woman!

Mums everywhere (goes without saying) and those women willing who risked all for equality for their and future generations Emmeline Pankhurst Christabel and Sylvia Pankhuerst

Last night first woman to win an oscar for best director! Hopefully this will lead for more opurtunities for creative women across the world!!!!!!!!

Yay for women!

Happy women's day!!! Let's celebrate the achievements but let's remember how much it is still to be done

Yay! Girl power! We still have a ways to go but let's celebrate how far we've come!

There's always been strong women in my family!

GIRL POWER !!!!

Excellent! I love you and the words you write. H

Lovely writeup!

currently, I am inspired by my aunt who s battling ovarian cancer.

My inspirations: my mother Patti, my great-grandmother Maria, Queen Elizabeth I, Frida Kahlo, Oprah, and my friend, Gianna Bird.

Yeah! Super Woman; you rock!

We are so rich with freedom, to make and do as we like. My Mother and mother-in-law inspired me to set out to do what I feel I could become. MJ

Yay! Emma Goldman Audre Lorde My Mom

Great read! Thanks!

My mother and grandmother were my biggest inspirations. My grandmother was a seamstress and my mother was a self-taught artist who started exhibiting at art fairs with me when she was in her forties. I'm also inspired by the women I sponsor through Women for Women International. They may all be victims of war, but they're not letting that stop them! They've been Iraqi, Congolese and mostly Afghani women who have learned weaving, sewing/tailoring, tie dye, and baking. They share these skills with their daughters so they can be independent, too. Their letters are amazing! Very resilient people, and that's inspiring to me!

I, as many women are, am a woman in a man's field, and I've never felt better :) ~Kelly

There came a point where encouraging my children to be all they could be wasn't enough. I had to show them with my own life what was possible for them. I stepped away from working for others and plunged into my future. If I can't live the dream, how do I expect them too?

...happy international women's day mama-mia...etsy is the place to be!!!

this one is for my Granny B, a woman before her time who taught me a lot about independence and speaking your own mind. Happy womens day everybody! ;)

In most countries a lot has changed sice the days of the tora. We have a lot to thank the Suffrage movement. Another woman who has done alot is Mary Kiri!

My mom, a working wife & mom when most of my friends' weren't. Two aunts, both artists. A favorite aunt by marriage, who grew up in a sharecropping family, converted to Judaism, married my mother's brother, worked as a grocery checker (before computers read bar codes--this was a skilled job)until she was 70, and was the first adoptive mom I knew. (Could that have influenced our adopting 5 kids?) My surrogate mom, after my mom's early death: grew up Catholic, no opportunity for college, worked in a number of jobs in which she ran large organizations & some man got the credit. Became a Unitarian & shocked her family & pretty much everyone around her by marrying a black man & having a mixed kid.

woot! i didn't even know there was an international women's day.

Thank you Michelle for this important article. I am inspired from my mum fistly. Then when I was a child Lisa Minelli inspired me with her hair style; short, black, with an interesting fringe. Her film "cabaret" and her dances was so nice. Then Agatha Christie the queen of crime, I still love to read her books with a great interest. Beginning of 80's mum used to buy a women magazine which has a femminist writer. Duygu Asena was a very good femminist writer in our country. Here in Turkiye we have tons of problems about womens life. Hope it will not go worst...

My favorite day of the year..

Happy International Women Day!!! from the guys at PARK matt & carlos

I'm so glad etsy did an article about International Women's Day! Yay! Thanks for featuring my Emma Goldman shirt! :)

Thanks for the article. When thinking back to my childhood Jane Goodall and the woman in the movie Born Free inspired me. I wanted to be a female adventurer - living in an exotic place...far away from the Georgia town I was growing up in.

Great article and especially appropriate on Etsy, because althought there are plenty of men on Etsy, I feel it is a largely female selling group. Thanks for a thoughtful article!

I believe that in many ways women are stronger than men. I have always been an admirer of Deborah, of the Old Testament!

MOTHER THERESA MADELINE ALBRIGHT MARGARET THATCHER AUDREY HEPBURN PRINCESS DIANA ANGELINA JOLIE SUFFREGETTES JOANN OF ARC AND EVERYDAY WOMEN WHO STRUGGLE TO GET EQUAL PAY EQUAL RIGHTS AND EVERYDAY WOMEN WHO STRUGGLE WITH BEING A GOOD FRIEND OR ARTIST OR WIFE OR MOTHER OR GRANDMOTHER OR JUST BE A GOOD PERSON I GUESS THAT ABOUT COVERS ALL OF US THAT'S MY POINT EVERY DAY HEROES

Awesome article!!

Thanks so much! It is nice to celebrate our past, present and future!

Great post! woot woot!

When we feel helpless it is often because we think we have lost control over our lives and see no way out of what ever dilemma truth is only our thoughts and actions or what bring us happiness or misery .Life is not about finding our selves it is about creating who we want to be .

Simon says may I my thoughts are already working towards what i want for my self .

"...there are two ways to meet life; you may refuse to care until indifference becomes a habit, a defensive armor, and you are safe - but bored. Or you can care greatly, live greatly, until life breaks you on its wheel. " — Dorothy Canfield Fisher SHOUT OUT TO THE LADIES ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!

You asked what woman inspired us? My mother was beautiful& intelligent woman, a fabulous gourmet cook and a wonderful role model who volunteered for many worthwhile organizations. She is my inspiration.

I'm inspired by Lee Krasner (wife of Jackson Pollock), Patricia Pollacco, Polly Jones (pollypainting), Amy Karol of angrychicken, and St. Veronica.

My sister inspires me. She fights for women empowerment wherever possible. She volunteers with women who have been sexually assaulted. She speaks her mind whenever she can, even if you don't like what she says. She swims against the currant (and I swim with... :-)).

Maybe boring, maybe expected, but my mom has always been a great inspiration. Now I am old enough to admit that! My dad worked hard to keep food on the table for us, but my mom really was the one who raised us. All the while starting up her own successful business. Now I'm in grad school while running an etsy store. If she can do it, so can I!

I owe my skills in crocheting to my mother. At the age of 10 back in Uganda, Africa, we all used to sit under the mangoe tree after morning chores were finished and we had had lunch. Everyone had to work on some craft project. I learned to crochet, knit, weave baskets and embroidery. Thank mom for instilling in me such a great gift

There are so many women that I look up to! Betty Friedan, Bell Hooks, Simon de Beauvoir... This is What Craftomania Tools Community is all about, helping strong women with their handmade buisnes. http://craftomaniatools.com/

Alice Walker, because she is not afraid to tell the stories of women and the violence done to them. She is not afraid to tell stories, period. And she has a musical tongue and a lyrical hand (two, even!) through which stories flow. She transforms fear into POWER! and tenderness into the most desired of all traits.

I watched my own mother work too hard for her family. It inspired me to become a postpartum doula and try to make womens' lives a little easier.

Happy Woman's Day to all you lovely women out there! I give a HUGE kudos to my Mom! When all my friends' moms were just taking them to school and back, my mom took me to soooo many classes, whether its summer, winter, we had no car, no money. She instilled the love of learning in me. She made me the artist that I am today, the musician, the dancer, the MBA, the finance banker, and best of all, A GOOD MOM! She taught me the values in life, and a desire to exceed my own expectations. Thanks for everything Mom!

My friend and Etsy shop owner, Jill, inspires me :) She creates with quality, whimsy and care! http://www.etsy.com/shop/jillian1984

I am inspired by all of the talented, hard working women shop owners on etsy! Also, my daughter who is my business partner & best friend. Women rock!

thanks for this WONDERFUL article!

My mother has always been my greatest inspiration. When I look at mother, myself, and my daughter I am so proud at all of the accomplishments that we've made and women all over the world. Happy International Women's Day to all of the women here on ETSY and all over the world.

Thank you for this article. My late mother inspires me most. She raised my brother and I on her own while attending University (and making the Dean's honour list), worked and managed to make most of my clothes. Bless the hard working, creative and loving women in the world.

My mother started her Etsy site after I had started my own. To see her excitement for the things she creates and sells inspires me. Here is her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SweetBellaBaby?ga_search_query=sweetbellababy&ga_search_type=seller_usernames My mother balances both a full time job as a manager as well as being on top of her Etsy game. It shows me that sometimes it is important to still make time to do the stuff that you really love to do.

I am woman hear me roar- Helen Reddy for that song. also: Rosie the Riveter And who was the lady with the radio show during WWII? She should be on there.

My deceased mother is my inspiration. She worked fulltime and yet made time to create beautiful clothes for us to wear, was a great cook and home decorator. She was so crafty and was always working on creative projects. It wasn't until she was gone that I began creating - second generation. I wish she could see the outcome of what she always told me "You are much more artistic than you give yourself credit for" ^_^

My step mother inspires me most. She married my father when my brother and I weren't even in school yet. If a ready made family wasn't hard enough to deal with, she had my little brother and sister shortly after. She was the one who checked my homework, who took me to practice(s) and juggled everyone else schedules as well. She is also the one that drove to my first dance, my first job interview,and everything social and school related until I was old enough to do it myself. She is the one who told me I could do anything I wanted to and she is also one who supports me wholeheartedly as a mother myself and as an artist. I am the person I am because of her. If I can make my son feel half as proud of me when he is older as I am of her I would be as happy as I could be!

I am inspired by my grandmother, who even with only one side of her body in full function after a major stroke continued to paint, while inspiring and always smiling! My Mother for taking care of five children while my father worked all over the world. AND my daughter!!! For pushing hard thru college, eating oatmeal for days straight, not knowing if I could afford the next semester, she still made A's!!! All have kept me inspired, as well as the artists on Etsy!! Thank you! Resa

Yesterday my 6 year old daughter told me that she felt sorry for boys because they weren't girls. I don't really know what she meant, but I am very glad that she feels privileged to be a female.

I am inspired by my mother fret and foremost. She's a very wise woman. Currently, Michelle Obama. She's beautiful and intelligent.

My immigrant grandmother was, and continues to be, my #1 inspiration. She was kind and possessed wisdom & tenacity. She deeply appreciated beauty & the fine arts. After being denied admittance to state run museums in the 'old country' because of her class, her gratitude for open access to the public museums & cultural institutions in this country bordered on reverence. Independent & entrepreneurial, she was a modest woman with quiet dignity. Others on my list: Mother Teresa, Georgia O'Keefe, Helen Keller, Cleveland artist & professor emeritus June Bonner plus a handful truly gifted female teachers who encouraged my artistic inclinations along the way.

Women Herbalists across the globe - Rosemary Gladstar, Rosita Arvigo, Jeanine Parvati Baker (never ever forgotten), Leslie Tierra, Susun Weed, Nikki Sculli, Linda Christen and so many more!

My teacher and mentor is my mom, My favorite saying as long as I live will always be, " the mentor as always stands in the shadows of the master". A master can be the femminine form or Woman. My mom is the reason that I pursue whole heartedly my fantasy and illustration endeavors, after all she taught me what I now from the moment my uncertain childs hands grasped my first watercolor pencil and looked up into her kind visage in awe

I am a member of what we call "The Greatest Church in the World" and we have the greatest Pastor and First Lady in the world. I am inspired by them both because they encourage us to start our own businesses and that nothing is impossible with God. I was able to participate in an entrepreneur program that our First Lady started 2005, I learned so much from the guest speakers about running a business, and even that it takes time to get it right. But as a result I know that I will soon be able to "Quit My Day Job." From the Heart!

Thanks for this feature and happy (belated) International Women's Day to everyone! I had a fabulous and inspiring time on Sunday at Winnipeg's annual march as well. Right now a prominent feminist icon on my mind is Kate Bornstein, who I met last week. She's a transgender activist, performance artist and writer who recognizes the link between trans rights and issues and the struggle for women's rights and the issues that still concern us. Inspiring stuff, my friends.

The women of Etsy inspire me everyday! Look at you all - business owners and artists every one of you. That's just amazing. And Martha Stewart - she walks pretty tall. Hillary Clinton, Benazir Bhutto, Freida Khalo...the list is endless.

All World of Women: Women's Day would celebrate. Unfortunately Turkey as a women talking about the terrible event HibouCards newspapers I have read and I have condemned. No time, no such events occur in a place with no hope ... Thanks

Yay, us! I've been inspired by so many women...Gloria Steinem, Frida Kahlo, Sojourner Truth, Joni Mitchell, my mama, Grandma Joanne...and my little girl, Luna (a current-toddler/woman-to-be). Woot, woot!

I have adopted a quote by Margaret Mead, American social anthropologist, as my life creed: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has'.

I am always inspired by the women in my life: my mom who had a full-time job and raised us, three children, my sister, who is a self-taught artist, my friend, who works full-time, has a baby, and works on her second Master's degree, all my other friends with busy lives, who find time for love, care, volunteering, and for me too :)

There are many women who have inspired me throughout my life but at the moment it's all about the talented Kathryn Bigelow for upstaging her ex-husband's $300 million blockbuster at the Oscars with her low-budget indie, and becoming the first woman to claim the coveted director's gong in the male-dominated industry.

Our mother, who through her last seven years with a terminal illness, carried on painting for the business no matter what. Even whilst on dialysis she was still painting. An inspiration and why we strive to carry on the business in her memory.

I was greatly inspired by my grandmother whose motto was "keep calm and get on with the work at hand" and who raised my sister and I while our mom was sick. Also her two sisters, who were good with their hands and taught us to make, mend, fix, put back together and have fun at it!

I have fond memories of seeing the poor hardworking african women of Bulawayo Zimbabwe, walking home along dusty tracks and hot roads, with a baby on their back, carrying heavy loads on their heads and in both hands. The humble african vendor women who helped out. Very close to my heart and never forgotten. We are spoilt in the west.

I'm inspired by my mom...what an amazing woman.

I'm inspired by every woman I meet who can manage work household children and still makes time to herself for her favorite things to do.

My friend Jill has taught me to dream big, embrace change and learning, and to never give up! Her perseverance has abundantly rewarded her and many other women working with her.

My grandma died last week. Her services last weekend really made it clear what an amazing life she lived. She grew up poor in the mining towns of west virginia, married my grandpa, neither of them had much of an education, but they worked really hard to make sure all seven of their kids went to college and beyond. A classic American story. Check out my blog post about her: www.these2words.blogspot.com

Strong successful women inspire me - In business, in arts, in politics, women who pursue their agenda makes me proud to be a woman.

My Mom was my example and mentor. She owned and managed her own busines while teaching me that I could do anything I really wanted to do. Her belief in me was empowering for me whatever it was I was faced with to accomplish. I miss her so much, since she died many years ago. Her loving support of me lives in my heart forever. That can't be taken away.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Sanger & Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In fact, I focused on these three women for strength and courage when I sued a local Country Club for access to the bar for women back in the 1990's. I was in 'good company'.

Alice Paul and her suffragette sisters endured physical abuse, public slander, social isolation, imprisonment, doubt and familial disapproval to win all American women the right to vote in public elections. Rent "Iron Jawed Angels" and watch with your girlfriends and daughters a truly inspirational true story.

My mom has inspired me....hands down! She is an amazing woman, a sweet & fun-loving mother,giving to all who cross her path, and so incredibly talented. She is my best friend and my inspiration. And she is a fellow Etsy artist! Check her out at IMGirl.

Women deserve a special day everyday! It is true, that we have more freedoms than the women who came before us, but the work for equality continues. Women & girls need to know that what they bring to the world is unique and worthy of praise.

so glad to be a *woman* my deepest admiration and respect for all the women that carry on this life,with all kind of obstacles,and still find the time to smile and offer a kind word to someone in need.I`m inspired by them, and the female artists of the past trying to make it against all odds in a man's world.

Truly creative souls passionate about their talents inspire me everyday.

My mother who battles mental illness and despite this managed to give all the love she has to her daughter. My grandmother for having the patience to teach me how to crochet the basis for my shop. Many of the women listed above and one new one to add to the list Rosa Parks.

Very good article. Sister love is special and a great source of strenth. I am very inspired by pioneer women. I read a journal written by a women on a wagon train, they had to leave so many things behind even on their way but she carried a sampler in her pocket that her grandmother had made. She never saw her family again but the sampler was handed down and handed down carrying that womens stength and love to each new generation.

Studies have shown that women actually make people happier. People who spend time with women are happier than those who don't -- or those who spend time with only men. Take that!

AWESOME topic! It's really motivating for a community and business like Etsy to recognize women and the history of our rise and proven strength. It also sets a great example for the younger female crafters like myself who are caught in the common conflict of "should I do what I love or should I take the 'traditional' path of working my way up corporate America?" Here's to celebrating our strength, intelligence, and freedom to choose!

Go women of the world! Thank you for bringing up this topic Michelle. I know I'm proud to call myself, "woman". I think as women we exude an amount of confidence that a man cannot - no man can say he can bear the birth of a child or endure the pain of loss like a woman can. It's in our power to have enormous compassion and we're gifted with the wonderment of having the double XX chromosomes!

I love the idea of International Women's Day. I grew up in a family of all women, our motto is "you can do anything, and if you can't, you make enough money to pay someone to do it for you" Women rock! I'm just sorry I missed the actual day.

In my country, women would receive flowers and praise on this day, even back in elementary school: all the little boys would bring a flower to us girls! On tv, there would be build up and anticipation to this day. It's a little disappointing to realize that many people here think this date is made up... At best they sneer at the mention of it. I think often about my grandmother, whom I would watch for hours while she mended and put together clothes for the family. Or my aunt, whose face would glow like a child's while she embroidered intricate imagery, completely absorbed in the task. "Someone honored me, giving me the secret of their craft" -Sappho

Way,way,way to many to even say! God has made a ridiculous amount of inspiring women in this world!!!

What a great article thanks. Indeed there are special women who have excelled and left a mark on the world. I dedicate the work on my etsy shop to one of the greatest woman i met, my mom. She just passed away after a long battle with breast cancer, but she will continue to inspire me every day. She was a fighter and showed me that women have strength and courage to achieve anything they want!

I admire Meredith Viera and Diane Sawyer: smart, beautiful, talented, witty. I admire great communicators like them because every time I blog, here is a typo.

great article. and just a min ago i say a pic with a saying somthing like -women that follow the rules never get noticed- roflol lots of "rules" were broken in the great stride of womans equal rights. some times i guess some rules are not for everyones bennifit lol.

I love taht your family celebrated Passover with a passage about the 4 daughters. I'll have to start thinking of traditions like for my family during the seder. Hope you are having a great holiday.