Justine Low Achieving without limitations

The international Like A Girl initiative, which already empowers girls around the globe during puberty at a time when they feel most vulnerable, was introduced in Trinidad and Tobago in early June 2016.

Justine hopes she can help girls see their full potential through self-confidence and self-acceptance, and gain the courage to achieve anything they can conceive without limitations.

Like the other Always nominees, Justine would like to see the negative connotations taken away from the term “like a girl” and open up constructive discussions around sexist expectations of women.

She speaks of unfair double standards set by society and ways in which girls are belittled or put down the older they grow and would like to see a reversal of such views.

WMN spoke to Justine before the announcement of the campaign winners. At the time she said of the possibility of being chosen as the Always #LikeAGirlTT ambassador, “I would like to give young women the chance to see and hear that they don’t need to be scared to be who they are. The world is an ever-changing place and you don’t need to hide who you are anymore.” She voices that women are dominating numerous fields globally and creating new blueprints for others to follow. “I hope to encourage young women to also pursue these dreams with the strength and courage we all have inside.” When she was 8-months-old, Justine suffered third degree burns over 80% of her body when an air condition unit in her room caught on fire.

She was rushed abroad to undergo treatment and physical therapy, after losing a finger, her hair, and pieces of skin.

She says the unfortunate accident never handicapped her. “I never allowed it to hold me back or gave it much thought growing up,” she says of the tragedy that befell her at a young age. She credits this to a resilient support system in the form of her family, many of whom were her mentors and inspirations growing up.

“My family will forever be my biggest inspiration.

My grandmother moved here at 18 to have a better life, even though she didn’t even know English!” Justine says of the matriarch from which her familial strength flows. Her grandmother raised four daughters – all CEOs, directors, and successful businesswomen in their fields.

Justine’s mother was also at her daughter’s side “through every surgery and doctor’s visit, no matter what.” She says these women have always taught her strength and confidence, to demand the most from life, and to never settle for anything less than what she’s worth.

“They taught me never to let my gender define who I am in this world,” she says proudly of the lessons passed down by the immoveable women in her family.

Professionally, Justine says she is lucky to work among many successful and hardworking women who are talented in their fields and teach her something new each day. As local Branding and Events Coordinator for one a multinational company, Justine takes on huge responsibilities and tasks each day.

At the young age of 25, she says she has learned – and continues to grow – much in a short space of time. Her love for planning birthday parties and weekend limes in her formative years blossomed into a career path she never expected would befall her but one she is proud to hold.

Her self-confidence and courage were not always of her, she shares, but rather traits she learned as the years have passed. “For the longest time growing up, I didn’t follow my dream of traveling because of how much I hated people staring at me,” she says of the ways she sometimes held herself back and did not pursue her heart’s desires.

“As I grew older and learnt to love myself for every flaw, I learnt to realise that I wasn’t traveling for other people, I was traveling for myself. I watched someone recently break the norm of only partying in Trinidad to pursue her love of fitness and fall back in love with herself through exercise; it is the simple things like this that makes a world of difference in our lives.” She says young girls should know the power of their goals and aspirations and follow them at all costs – lest they lose them forever. “While everyday my faith and love for myself is tested, such is life,” she says matter-of-factly about the ongoing challenges of self-love, but adds that she is the woman she is today because of the ways she learned to accept all of herself – the flawed and the flawless. “I learnt to love my humour and my weirdness; my strengths and weaknesses.” She sees the oppressions women and girls face on a daily basis as changeable “when we first change it in ourselves.” She says women and girls must stop the self-doubt, the thoughts of not being “good enough, smart enough, strong enough”, but rather take the first steps to proving others and themselves wrong. To her, acceptance of strengths and weaknesses can lead to the strengthening of each other.

“I have seen girls not try something new and not pursue things they like because of sexism, I have seen girls and women dull themselves down and act a certain way because they think that’s what they are supposed to do,” she says of the damaging effects sexism has wreaked on women and girls she knows. She also acknowledges that sexism is equally, if not more, harmful to men. “If a boy grows up with sexist thoughts towards women, they take these beliefs with them as they become men. When men and boys allow themselves to be sexist, they do not allow themselves to truly respect a woman. How can they learn to truly love someone that they do not respect?” she says of the dangerous social position sexism boxes men into.

She continues that she would like to see men and boys treat women in the way they would want others to treat their mothers, sisters, aunts, or grandmothers.

She gives an example of sexist comments made by men: “I hear boys use the phrase ‘you drive like a girl’ in such a negative manner on a constant basis that I don’t even know how it started,” she expresses one of the most widespread sexist misconceptions that irks her. She believes a culture of upliftment, teaching, and sharing is necessary to put an end to such unfounded stereotypes, and says instead of berating women and girls for doing things “badly”, they should be encouraged and taught how to improve certain skill sets.

Justine believes that no life is worth more than another, especially in the context of sex and gender. “Growing up with an older brother, I had to constantly fight for what I wanted in my house – even if it was as simple as driving at night,” Justine says of the reasons the fight for gender equality is close to her heart and should be to all women and girls. “To me, women should be able to ask for what they want no matter the outcome.” Her ultimate hope is that women and girls will hear her story and be inspired by themselves – in every shade, size, and strength they may appear. “I hope when young women hear my story they realise they don’t need to be ‘normal’ to have confidence,” Justine says of the message she hopes to impart through her #LikeAGirlTT work. She denounces mass media and society’s unreasonable standards of beauty and the overarching claims that there is an imaginary beauty barometer that only an elite few can attain. “My confidence and strength comes from being exposed to mental and physical challenges from a very young age and never being held back growing up,” she says of the ways hardships can morph into a fighting spirit that is necessary for women everywhere.

“My family and friends never once let me believe that I couldn’t do something just because I only have nine fingers or no hair. They always encouraged me to follow my passions in life and let my inner weird shine” – a mantra she hopes others can learn through her openness and willingness to share her experiences.