Women Are Divine

The Beauty of Being Female

By Lisa M. Burwell

Since early childhood, I have cherished being born a female. I have never felt “lesser than” in what is sometimes referred to as the age-old war of the sexes, and I am unapologetically proud that I am not a man. I am grateful to feel comfortable in my given gender role, as I know that may not be the case for others. It’s so important to be happy and satisfied with who you are, no matter your race, creed, or gender. Being the eldest of six children (three girls and three boys) in an Irish Catholic family may have helped to cultivate an innate self-confidence. In my house—no matter the gender—you had to be smart, competitive, quick-minded, and tough for your opinion to count for something. At our dinner table set for eight, the ritual was one of fostering robust conversations that ranged from the Bible to sports and everything in between. Male and female alike, we all had a voice, and no subject was off limits. The mantra at the table was simply “May the best man win!” (and no preferential treatment was implied).

This month’s issue has been in the works for the past year and it’s one of the most exciting that we have ever produced. We sought the legendary Tina Brown, former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, as the cover personality for our inaugural Women’s Issue. Since founding Women in the World ten years ago, Tina has tirelessly nurtured and grown this live media platform to transcend all other live platforms by advancing conversations in the traditional salon style, but with all the modern-day digital accoutrements available for spreading the word around the world. Her sphere of influence is unmatched, and as a publishing goddess, we are honored to have Tina on VIE’s cover.

A core ethos of Women in the World is “women lifting women,” which is accomplished by providing a platform for discourse. Tina echoes the sentiment of “sisterhood” in that it is our responsibility as women to assist other women whenever it is within our power to do so. This posture of celebrating the power of women is in clear juxtaposition to the focus of the recent Me Too movement, which seems to concentrate more on victimized women—although the arrival of the latter was necessary to bring about change within a male-dominated culture. Read all about Tina Brown in “A Conversation at Home with Tina Brown” as we celebrate women of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities.

My intent behind this curated collection of powerful and engaging women is to start new conversations that focus on the uniqueness of womanhood but may also provide an understanding of the differences that can be found among the women of our culture. To say I’ve given immense thought to this issue would be a gross understatement. A few weeks ago, an oldie but a goodie came across the car radio: Chaka Kahn’s “I’m Every Woman.” Its message is still relevant and appropriate today. I cranked the volume and sang along with Chaka because, like the lyrics say, “It’s all in me!” And it’s all in you, too. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, so shout it from the rooftops.

To Life!

—Lisa Marie
Founder/Editor-in-Chief

Thanks to my late father and to my husband, who encouraged me to be me and celebrate my womanhood—their support has been the wind beneath my wings!

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