International Women's Day: Google honours women's firsts with a creative doodle

Google is celebrating the annual International Women’s Day on March 8 with a series of firsts in women’s history. The search engine’s doodle features video footage that honours and commemorates the female pioneers who challenged the status quo and paved the way for the other women in education, civil rights, science, art and more. On this day, Google recognised and acknowledged the first those of pioneering female scientists, writers, athletes and artists and others whose contribution marked the beginning of an era of women’s rights and equality. This year, International Women’s Day 2021 coincided with Women’s History Month across many countries. 

“The video Doodle pays homage to these (s)heroes by depicting the hands that have opened the doors for generations of women. While some firsts achieve something spectacularly new, others are receiving a recognition or right that is long overdue,” says Google. 

“When women are successful, we are all successful. We need to stand behind them, to make sure that they have the tools to continue the march toward progress and be the leaders they are born to be.”

—Bonita Stewart, Vice President of Global Partnerships at Google

In the creatively animated doodle, Google celebrates hands that made a difference and opened the previously closed doors for women. The video portrays a women group effectively “raising a hand” to all the women from the past, present and future that were revolutionary in sparking a change. The nearly 41-second-long video honours women who make an enormous contribution across various fields professionally and push for equal opportunities regardless of gender.

“When women have the tools to take charge of their own lives, they make history,” Google wrote celebrating the womens’ iconic journey throughout the centuries. Encouraging more and more women to make ripples of progress, Google with its doodle, exclusively dedicated to women, aimed to share the individual story of the struggles of every woman within the walls of offices, on-ground, or acing the household responsibilities. 

[First woman to climb Mount Everest, Junko Tabei. Credit: Google]

"From the first woman astronaut to the first woman to climb Mount Everest, in the past year, the world searched for “the first woman” more than ever before," Google informed in a statement. 

Exclusive wallpapers dedicated to 'women'

The powerful clip was illustrated by a woman itself, Helene Leroux, who drew influences from her own grandmother to create the images adorning global Google homepages, according to google. "The theme “Women Firsts” especially resonated with me. My great grandmother who I remember drawing with when I was a child, was an incredible artist, but she was never really allowed to pursue art professionally,” Leroux said. Google also introduced the exclusive wallpapers for Pixel devices dedicated to the uplifting stories from the women and a whole section dedicated to women developers, content creators, and boundary breakers are flashing on the Google Play Store. 

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[Credit: Google]

“I eventually became the first woman in my family to pursue art studies and create a profession from drawing. I wish she could have had the same opportunity back then!  l actually snuck in a shot from my profession as an animator in the video,” illustrator Leroux said, sharing her inspiring story.

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