Doodle Portrait | A Tribute To International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day - 8th March 2018.

Happy Women's Day to all Steemian ladies!!.

Earlier today I was reading my Bible and I purposely chose the Book Of Esther for my today's reading. I knew the Jewish festival, Purim, was celebrated about a week ago. To those who are not familiar, the festival of Purim commemorates a time when the Jewish people were saved from extermination by Persian King Xerxes, that took place 2500 years ago. This story is told in the Book of Esther.

This story is very familiar to me because I have read it countless times in the past. I am not going to tell you the details but to share a bit about two women characters in this book, King Xerxes first wife, Queen Vashti and his second wife, Queen Esther.

Queen Vashti

Queen Vashti was banished because she refused to parade before the king's all-male party. King Xerxes was humiliated because Vashti refused his order and her action was a breach of protocol. Xerxes had invited important officials throughout the land to his lavish banquet to show-off his power, wealth, and authority. Vashti refusal to obey his command meant he was perceived as had no authority over his wife. If his wife disobeyed him, his military credibility would be tarnished!

Queen Esther

Queen Esther was the king's second wife who replaced Queen Vashti. Esther was selected among hundreds/thousands of young women who were taken from their homes to the royal harem. Esther with the help of her uncle Mordecai, saved the Jewish people from being exterminated after an evil plot by the king's main official, Haman.

Both women came from an era where women were treated as second-class citizens. Women were treated as (sexual) objects rather than as individuals with dignity. I admired Queen Vashti's rebellious attitude. She knew the consequence of disobeying the king's order yet she went ahead and refused his command. Parading naked with only her crown in a room full of drunk men? No way! She must have felt so hurt and humiliated. I salute her courage and bravery for opposing her husband's order. It was believed that Vashti was pregnant with her first child around this time and this could be one of the reasons for her disobedience.

Imagine being Esther and was summoned to the royal harem for the sole purpose of serving the king sexually. Esther had to leave her home and family and everything that was familiar to her. If she was rejected as queen, she would be among hundreds of girls the king had seen once and forgotten. She would be a "damaged goods", unwanted by the king and no men would want her.

The present

Two thousand and five hundred years had passed since the time of Esther. We live in the modern era where women are treated as men's equal. Women had achieved so many great things for the past two millennia. We are empowered to strive for the best to reach our full potential. All women can contribute towards the betterment of the society in any field. You can even do that in Steemit. Do you know that we have two women Witness in Steemit? Do you know who they are? They are Hive account@patrice and Hive account@crimsonclad. For those who don't know Patrice is the creator of Hive account@spaminator and also a founding member of Hive account@steemcleaners. And Crimsonclad through her Witness activities is a generous contributor to the
Hive account@minnowsupport project. I encourage those who have not vote for these women Witness to do it today as a tribute to Women's Day.

Other than voting for these awesome Witness, you can also support the various women initiatives in Steemit. I am a proud member of #teammalaysiababes, a community for Steemian women from Malaysia. I am also a member of Hive account@steemsugars and Hive account@teamgirlpowa. These amazing communities were created to unite and support women (and men) in Steemit.

The portrait

I sketched this portrait as a tribute to Women's Day. It was not intentional but I think she looks a bit like Hive account@meanmommy33 ! (the founder of SteemSugars). I am sorry Hive account@meanmommy33 if you think she doesn't look like you LOL.