Women Activists: Words Of Wisdom From Clinique & Lena Dunham's #DifferenceMaker Podcast

ERENDIRA: "Growing up in two countries, you have these two concepts of freedom of speech, right? I got to Mexico and I remember in my high school—one of the reasons why I got kicked out—organizing a little debacle. Because I thought we needed to protest about a certain situation. And all of the sudden, it was like, 'Wait a minute. You can't do that here.' Well, why can't I do this? Why can't I demonstrate that I'm not happy with the history books? Like, why can't I say that? 'Well, because this is Mexico.' And it was so hard for me to understand that in one place it was okay for me to say that I didn't like something, even though I got yelled at. Or said, you know, 'Well, we like it; so, stop whatever you're doing!' And then in another place—not even being able to say anything just because we're in Mexico. The way I see it is 'Lo veo como un reto.' I see it as, 'Oh, really? You're going to tell me I can't say anything? Because I grew up here. I grew up knowing that I can speak out. And that you have to handle it. How can you keep quiet?' Like, that's something that I always want to ask people when I'm sitting in front of them in Mexico. It's like—while they're in their, you know, really cool nice little hipster restaurant and having their perfect chai with soy milk. And I just want to sit there and go like, 'Why can't you be this, and go out there and say this is not fair? Why does it have to be like—oh, those that stand up for people; and then us, the cool people. Like, why can't it be cool to think about others?....And apathy. What is apathy? Fear. It's fear of being involved. Fear of creating a voice. Because, what happens when you create a voice? And what happens when you get involved? People try to tear you down. But that's what we're here for. We're warriors. We are made to resist. We are resilient. I know myself. And I know that when I censor myself—when I'm quiet with what I feel and with my emotions and with my heart—I become profoundly unhappy. And I'm very hard on myself. I believe that acting is my vocation, but my reason to live is the other person that's in front of me."

[Photo courtesy of Clinique]