Bindi Irwin is celebrating International Women’s Day with a letter reflecting on parenting her daughter, Grace Warrior.
The conservationist, 23, who runs the Australia Zoo with her wildlife-friendly family, penned an essay for Stellar magazine about being a mom to her 11-month-old.
“Becoming a mother changes your perspective on life, and being a girl mum brings its own set of obstacles,” Irwin wrote. “I feel a sense of enormous responsibility to raise our daughter to be an empowered woman.”
Irwin, who shares Grace with her husband Chandler Powell, shared that she wants to give Grace “all the tools” necessary to “do anything that calls to her.”
“Our Grace Warrior is a girl on a mission already, and I admire that,” she wrote. “I also don’t want her to lose that.”
“She shouldn’t miss out on anything because of her gender,” the former Bindi the Jungle Girl star wrote. “Society still seems to be coming to terms with the idea of a strong woman, often labeled ‘bossy,’ ‘loud,’ and even ‘b****y,’ while a strong man is labeled ‘powerful,’ ‘in control,’ and ‘a good leader.'”
While Irwin, who is the daughter of Terri Irwin and the late Crocodile Hunter star Steve Irwin, said that conservationism tends to be a male-dominated field, more than 50 percent of Australia Zoo workers are women. The majority of the zoo’s upper management team are also women.
“International Women’s Day is upon us, and gives the world an opportunity to reflect on and acknowledge the enormous impact they have on shaping it,” Irwin said. “This is a celebration of women’s achievements and should stand as a reminder to recognize our ability to change the world each and every day. There are still tremendous steps to be taken to create an equal world. We have a long and important journey ahead.”
Irwin’s fans praised her for the column on Instagram, where she posted an image of her essay. One wrote of Grace, “She’ll definitely make a difference in the world like her strong momma, grandma and family.” Another added, “Beautifully written. My daughter is heading to university in the fall to study wildlife conservation with a focus in primatology. I am so proud of the strong woman she has become, and I know she is prepared for the fight ahead.”
This is Irwin’s first International Women’s Day as a mom — however, she did post a sweet message on Instagram in her honor.
Irwin, who was pregnant with Grace at the time, wrote in March 2021, “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them. #InternationalWomensDay.”
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