THIS is with reference to the special supplement published to celebrate International Women`s Day (March 8).

It was invigorating to read a few thought-provoking articles written by professionals.

The advertisements by different companies on this particular day committing themselves to women empowerment and offering services exclusively for women also deserve applause and admiration.

However, there were two elements on the first page that left a somewhat bad taste in one`s mouth and made one ponder whether our girls are supposed to get education only to become teachers. And will our girls always remain af filiated rather `afflicted` with pink, flowers and butterflies? Educating the girl child across Pakistan is a gigantic task undertaken by corporate giants, and words fall short to acknowledge their magnanimous efforts. The main message fromone chief executive officer (CEO) was all encompassing and truly inspirational.

However, the otherwise excellent article and the related advertisement both conveyed the message that the schoolgirls of today are the teachers of tomorrow.

It spread the impression that our daughters and sisters should aspire to become teachers and may not be worthy of becoming anything else. The factis that our girls today choose whatever they want to become tomorrow. Education is a means that empowers our girls to pursue their dreams in whatever field they want to.

No profession should be dominated by a single gender.

Also necessary to highlight is the wide gap between the pay difference of teachers and other professionals having the same qualification. Is the situation this bleak pay-wise because there are more women in this profession? The header of the said supplement looks super cute and beautiful, just the way our society wants our girls to appear. Different shades of pink, a silhouette of a young beautiful woman with perfect long eyelashes, and with flowers and butterflies all around her.

The life in real is a different shade; it has more colours and more diversity.

Always having a Pakistan Day supplement in green with our Quaid on the banner is one thing, but let us not restrict our girls and women to the `power of pink` only. Let them be any `colour` they want to be.

Let us, as society, start depicting and associating girls with more solid, resilient and lasting qualities and symbols of wisdom, trust, freedom, energy and power rather than delicate, transitory things, like youth, beauty,flowers and butterflies. Let all of us embrace equity and parity in their true perspectives so that eventually the Women`s Day itself may become history.

Lubna Jaffar Ali Misumi Japan