Like a prayer
Once upon a time, a little German girl named Hildegard had a brilliant, wonderful vision. Floating down an a golden orb, God appeared to her, and she was a beautiful woman. The girl was shown a world where women shone like diamonds, free to follow their heart. Deemed crazy, bedeviled even - the fact that she also insisted the cosmos was vulva-shaped didn't exactly help - the girl was sent to a monastery. When Hildegard von Bingen finally dared to write down her proto-feminist visions at 42, she changed our world forever.
Once upon a time, a little German girl named Hildegard had a brilliant, wonderful vision. Floating down an a golden orb, God appeared to her, and she was a beautiful woman. The girl was shown a world where women shone like diamonds, free to follow their heart. Deemed crazy, bedeviled even - the fact that she also insisted the cosmos was vulva-shaped didn't exactly help - the girl was sent to a monastery. When Hildegard von Bingen finally dared to write down her proto-feminist visions at 42, she changed our world forever.Growing up as a working-class girl in the South of Holland, my childhood visions weren't quite as colorful as Hildegard's, but I did dream of a world where I could be anything I wanted to be: a prima ballerina, a navy SEAL or even a nun (I adored my grandmother, a strong, crafty ex-nun with a green thumb). I wasn't called crazy, but I wasn't stimulated to fulfill my potential either. Instead, I went to vocational school to become a housewife and mindlessly make 'vlaflips' - a traditional Dutch pudding - till one day, I had a vision that refused to go away. I was going to be an artist, and I was going to change the world with my art. A few years later, I graduated with honors from art school where I had discovered my passion: to empower women through my lingerie.
As a feminist, I have always believed that femininity, long seen as our weakness, is actually our superpower. To harness that power, I started making lingerie that was so supportive, flattering and sensual from a woman's point of view, that you can't help but fall in love with your reflection in the mirror. At the same time, society and its beauty standards had made women so self-critical that they often couldn't see their own beauty and power. So, I came up with a motto that is actually a 3-step plan towards self-realization, starting with a challenge to dare to dream. What is your heart's desire? What are your goals? To run a marathon, find a cure for cancer or own a global chain of juice bars? Nothing is too crazy or far-fetched! The next step: dare to grow. What is needed to make this dream reality? This is all about focus and finding the right balance between hard work and contemplation - 'Ora et Labora' as the Benedictine nuns like to say. Finally, you’ll be ready for the third part: dare to be. Congratulations, you have stepped into your power.
For the past 30 years, through projects ranging from my FEMININE/FEMINIST magazine to my 'Unlock Your Potential' journal and workshops, I have been challenging women to excel, using my motto: dare to dream, dare to grow, dare to be. And I've been blessed to see the results: women 'shining like diamonds', the way German nun Hildegard von Bingen envisioned it almost 900 years ago. Although I never became a nun, I do pray every day: for the courage to change the things I can, the grace to accept the things I cannot, and the wisdom to tell the difference. Yes, after all these years, I'm still living my own motto. And guess what? I've only just begun.
