Rather than just focusing on a single woman or select group of women, this year’s Google Doodle for International Women’s Day is a special 55-second illustrated video. The animated clip shows several women from different walks of life and different generations holding hands to form a lovely rotating mandala.
The first black-and-white layer of the mandala represents women from around the world in the late 1800s to 1930s during the labour movements. The second layer moves forward and focuses on the 1950s to 1980s, a time when there was more of a push for gender equality and women’s rights. The last layer depicts women from the 1990s to today, showing the progress that has been made over the last 100 years. Women are shown as mothers, astronauts, scientists, captains and athletes.
“As today’s women stand on the shoulders of those who have fought and made sacrifices in the generations past, they likewise carry the legacy of the movement forward. Here’s to the women across sectors, industries, nations, ages, and cultures, who persist tirelessly to take charge together—paving the way for future generations to come,” says a post from Google.
Women also created the 3D paper mandala animation. Oslo and London artists Julie Wikinson and Joyanne Horscrof from Makerie Studio illustrated it, while Zurich animators Marion Willam and Daphne Abderhalden from Drastik GmbH animated it.
“As a female duo, our link to this particular Doodle was clear—we loved having the chance to celebrate such an important day about what exactly has allowed us to have the lives and careers we do,” says Wilkinson and Jorscroft in the blog post.
Every year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8 and marks a date in which women are honoured. This year’s theme from the United Nations is “I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights.”
