Enloe's Latest Feminist Movement

Enloe bathrooms are not known for their glamour, cleanliness, or even functionality, to say the least. But in the past couple of months, a unique kind of beautification process of some Enloe bathrooms has begun—led not by administration, but instead by students. In the girls’ bathrooms in both the 2700 and 1600 halls, students took to posting messages of female empowerment. While these posters have been published anonymously, their sentiments stand tall.

The poster in the 1600s hall bathroom provides a word of advice for the hundreds of Enloe girls that stand before the bathroom mirror every day before school and between class changes, looking for flaws and attempting to fix them. The poster reminds its audience that they are beautiful people by saying “look at yourself... you’re beautiful.” Not only do these simple posters inspire self-confidence, but they reach out to the many high school girls struggling with friendship woes and frustrations. One of several posters around the school specifically explains what a “toxic” friendship looks like and what to do about them, pushing for a new culture at Enloe: unity among females. The 2700 hall tapped into this movement of female empowerment by providing a basket of various feminine hygiene products with the note reading “Take what you need, leave what you can.” Females across our school will now have access to necessary products that they may have forgotten, or that they simply may not have available to them. While there have always been metal containment units containing pads and tampons in the girls' bathrooms, they are rarely filled or contain a variety of sizes. This newly implemented basket provides a variety of necessities for all girls in need at Enloe without cost or worry.

The women of Enloe are taking the International Women’s Month solidarity movement right to home with these simple but beautiful gestures. Incredible efforts like this, which are meeting the everyday needs of our fellow students, are yet another reason why Enloe students stand out. This developing unity among the strong women of our school is something that not only adds to this picture of Enloe scholars, but also further illustrates the major social changes happening around us. Enloe’s empowered women are taking to every corner of our school to empower women, inspiring change among us all.