Michelle Obama, Emma Watson, and women around the world celebrate International Women's Day

Emma Watson
(Image credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Today thousands of people will celebrate International Women's Day, an annual event held each year on March 8 that calls for the complete cessation of discrimination and violence against women and girls. While the occasion is never without criticism, women around the world seize the opportunity to lift each other up and promote the continued progress of feminism's many causes. In just a few images from today's varied festivities, U.N. Ambassador for gender equality Emma Watson illuminates the Empire State Building in magenta, First Lady Michelle Obama speaks to students at a Let Girls Learn initiative, Pakistani women march to end honor killings, and Paris Fashion Week models take a break from the catwalk to show their support.

Vive les femmes!Stephanie Talmadge

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Stephanie Talmadge

Stephanie is an editorial assistant at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Modern Luxury Media.