The words of songstress Helen Reddy, ‘I am woman hear me roar . . .’, got women off their seats and roaring in the 1970s. Her words have fuelled women to believe in themselves for over 40 years. That’s all well and good, and I fully support any woman who truly believes in her innate power. But what about the intrinsic beauty of her soul? What about the deeply nurturing, wise and formidable soul of a woman? Of all women?

In 2014, The Austin Institute for Family Culture highlighted some of the most compelling theories of sociologists in an animated video entitled ‘The Economics of Sex’ [http://www.austin-institute.org/ai-research-animates]. To summarise the video to the extreme, it posits that women are no longer valued because the birth control pill has allowed them to not have to keep their virginity under lock and key. You’ll have to watch it for yourself – I am taking a lot of poetic licence with my summary.

But, for a reason.

Before the pill and the so-called sexual revolution in the 1960s, women all had a common commodity. Their virginity. They could hold onto it and keep it safe until the highest bidder came along (feminists, don’t freak out yet, hear me out first). But then all of a sudden, women simply weren’t on the same page anymore and began to compete. Because they didn’t all value the same thing in the same way, the market got a little bit foggy. Women could choose to give out or not with seeming impunity. Again – I’m really simplifying this.

My point is that since women began competing, they’ve stopped collaborating. They’ve stopped loving and nurturing each other as they should. In Biblical times, as illustrated in the book The Red Tent (by Anita Diamant), women regularly spent beautiful, nurturing and enriching time with each other during their menses. That was because back then, most women had their periods at the same time, in tune with the moon’s cycle.

Now women can manipulate the way their bodies would naturally work, and most agree that menstruating at the same time isn’t all that good for society, given PMS and all it comes with.

Back to ‘I am woman’ – what if all women learned to value themselves again; not out of fear of unwanted pregnancy or being seen as ‘soiled goods’, but out of the deep knowledge that their unique, beautiful souls are a phenomenon. Forget the whole keeping it all under lock and key, we all know there’s still power in the vagina. What if women knew and acknowledged that they were made to create, nurture, embrace, uplift and hold together the entire world. What if all women viewed each other as sisters? What if all women truly looked out for each other and stood together, in all circumstances? What if every woman looked at every other woman and saw the little girl in the mirror, trying to look pretty and face the world? What if every woman so=imply saw the soul of every other woman? What if every woman refused to compete?

What if all women stood up and said, ‘We are Woman, Hear Us Roar’?

Here are the original lyrics – see if you can turn them into a collaborative voice. See how you can impact lives by merely doing what women should do – joining their souls together in one voice:

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an’ pretend
‘Cause I’ve heard it all before
And I’ve been down there on the floor
No one’s ever gonna keep me down again

Oh yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong
(Strong)
I am invincible
(Invincible)
I am woman

You can bend but never break me
‘Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
‘Cause you’ve deepened the conviction in my soul

Oh yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong
(Strong)
I am invincible
(Invincible)
I am woman

I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin’ arms across the land
But I’m still an embryo
With a long, long way to go
Until I make my brother understand

Oh yes, I am wise
But it’s wisdom born of pain
Yes, I’ve paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can face anything
I am strong
(Strong)
I am invincible
(Invincible)
I am woman

I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman