Everyone who grew up in the 90s has a vivid recollection of jamming to Spice Girls song “Wannabe” during their childhood. The catchy tune “If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends” and exquisite dance moves were everywhere from our telephone toys to that time we were convinced we would grow up to be a pop star.
This year, as part of promoting gender equality, which is one of UN’s Global Goals for sustainable development program, Global Goals remade the music video with a feminist perspective that included women from around the world and signs promoting gender equality.
It also generated the hashtag #whatireallyreallywant and here are some of the responses they got
Thank you @Juseemee for your powerful voice in our #WhatIReallyReallyWant movement
— The Global Goals (@TheGlobalGoals) September 12, 2016
What do YOU want for girls? pic.twitter.com/HWCPabwB5k
What these women really really want is quality education, equal pay and an end to child marriages and violence for women all over the world.
#Millennials and the #SDGs @UN_Women @ImpakterMag #IM https://t.co/K3GPXjJgJW #WhatIReallyReallyWant pic.twitter.com/0RdrkIwNIf
— Carmie Malubay (@CarmieMalubay) August 30, 2016
One of the many Global Goals is to achieve 50% representation of women i.e. gender equality all over the world.
We care about #EndingViolenceAgainstWomen! @GirlGuidingNZ @TheGlobalGoals #WhatIReallyReallyWant pic.twitter.com/AQQpB6WhmN
— Pakuranga Rangers (@PakurangaRanger) September 6, 2016
The United Nations program aims to have achieved this and other Global Goals by the year 2030.
ADI supports Gender Equality and Quality Education! #WhatIReallyReallyWant @TheGlobalGoals @SDGoals pic.twitter.com/CVHUmFVKEB
— Anuradha Naimpally (@anudances) September 2, 2016
People have been speaking out against all sorts of gender discrimination through the hashtag
#WhatIReallyReallyWant
— #اسقطوها (@modhdahada) September 2, 2016
I want to be my own guardian #سعوديات_نطالب_باسقاط_الولايه54 #StopEnslavingSaudiWomen pic.twitter.com/o5mHofakmP
A healthy body image and sense of self are some of the most discussed topics in feminism
Join the movement! ???? @TheGlobalGoals #WhatIReallyReallyWant pic.twitter.com/0KFxqxR5Pn
— Own It! (@Own_It_Campaign) August 24, 2016
And violence against women continues to be an obstacle in the way of gender equality
Yo! I tell you what I want #WhatIReallyReallyWant STOP #BURNSVIOLENCE AGAINST ALL WOMEN @globalgoals #PowerofRunning pic.twitter.com/Bs61lD9i91
— Impact Marathons (@ImpactMarathons) August 2, 2016
But people are willing to fight it one step at a time, be it domestic abuse, acid attacks, or child marriage
Workshop in Bangladesh on early marriage and its implications. #WhatIReallyReallyWant! @ICS_UK @YCareInt pic.twitter.com/fq9zyy8hnw
— Emilia (@emiliameissner_) August 27, 2016
Even children’s shows like Sesame Street jumped in and contributed to the campaign
@sesamestreet I dream big everyday!
— Sarah Senay (@sarahksenay1) September 20, 2016
Needless to say, it was a pretty good run and definitely worked towards spreading the word
The global goals @TheGlobalGoals are v.important for women and girls! #WhatIReallyReallyWant https://t.co/z2L54okPNA pic.twitter.com/xOkK4lirrt
— Notts Women's Centre (@nottswcentre) September 1, 2016
And this is how the global goals bus that went around Times Square on September 20, promoted the movement
THE #GlobalGoals HAVE TAKEN TIMES SQ. TO SPREAD YOUR #WhatIReallyReallyWant MESSAGE!
— The Global Goals (@TheGlobalGoals) September 20, 2016
NYC are you ready?! pic.twitter.com/zQmihMtt8s
Hence what women really want is quality education for all girls, an end to all kinds of violence against women, and the right to make their own choices. Let's hope the Global Goals succeeds in achieving gender equality so we can all live in a world where our daughters and sisters are not constantly discriminated against.