On International Day of the Girl, former first lady Michelle Obama reflected on the #MeToo movement, which she says has shown what a “dangerous place” the world still is for women and girls, and emphasized the need to keep on fighting the good fight—the long and storied fight—for gender equality.
“I’m surprised at how much has changed, but how much has not changed,” Obama said during an exclusive interview on the TODAY show, according to NBC News “Enough is enough.”
“The world is, a, sadly, dangerous place for women and girls, and I think young women are tired of it. They’re tired of being undervalued. They’re tired of being disregarded,” she added.
Obama acknowledges that the path to social reform and justice is not the easiest, but encouraged girls and women to keep moving forward and cause discomfort.
“That’s what happens with change. Change is not a direct, smooth path. There’s going to be bumps and resistance. There’s been a status quo in terms of the way women have been treated, what their expectations have been in this society, and that is changing,” she said.
“There’s going to be a little upheaval, a little discomfort, but I think it’s up to the women out there to say, ‘Sorry. Sorry that you feel uncomfortable, but I’m now paving the way for the next generation,'” she added.
As usual, Obama is not one to just talk to the talk, the former first lady also took time to announce her new initiative, The Global Girls Alliance, under the Obama Foundation, to help adolescent girls around the world get an education.
“If we’re going to change…we have to give them the tools and the skills through education to be able to lift those voices up,” Obama said.
