Today is International Women's Day, and although you might notice the requisite "Let's Empower Women and Girls" op-ed on your social media news feeds, the truth is that this day is more or less a farce. It's a day where society can say they have talked about "women's" issues for a day in order to make themselves feel like they have contributed to the betterment of humanity. Note the use of quotations. That's because I'm systematically flabbergasted as to how certain facts are perceived to be solely a women's rights issue and not a human rights issue. If any other race, religious organization, or linguistic group were treated in the same manner as women are worldwide the entire planet would be up in arms.

With so many international atrocities committed against women on a daily basis, I as a woman in the west sometimes feel that there is very little that we can do. But living in the lap of luxury doesn't remove the sadness one feels when they see the news reports. I feel overwhelmed by the state of women and believe we should act more. This International Women's Day let us educate ourselves and the society at large.

In India, I met with street children, including young girls, living on railway platforms. A Plan colleague there told me that if we don't get to these rural refugees from poverty within eight days of arrival in a city, they'll be victims of trafficking. If we invest in girls, especially in their education, we can literally transform lives.

Last month after a few too many drinks with a good girlfriend, I uttered the four words that are unthinkable to any feminist: Women don't deserve equality. Between shots of tequila I managed to slur out my drunken explanation: The vast majority of women of our generation simply aren't fighting the good fight for equality

The Harper government recently forced the daughter of a war bride to file an action in the Federal Court to gain her citizenship because, although she grew up in Canada, she was born out of wedlock. What does that say about the fundamental human and civil rights of Canadian women, especially on the day we celebrate their great strides?

I choose Michelangelo to give our day a makeover. One of the world's greatest artists and philosophers could teach Karl Lagerfield a lesson or two. The artist's power message for us is: "Beauty is expression over form."