What is your name, occupation, and role (or roles) you most identify with? 
Shauna, Winemaker, Mom

What is the most positive thing about being a woman now?
All of a sudden it felt like women were being listened to, and heard. Feminism finally felt cool and mainstream, which it should be. Feminism just means one supports women.

What is the hardest thing about being a woman now?
Even though there has been so much progress, ingrained sexism, racism and discrimination don't disappear overnight. Although when the pendulum swings, expect a bit of a backlash. I feel like as a result of women being heard, there are many men who have become defensive. Not to say their behavior or defensiveness is malicious, they were raised in a different time, and they don't understand why their behavior is an issue. For instance, and older man at work giving me elevator eyes and telling me, "you are really looking great." He thinks he is delivering a compliment, and maybe even making my day better. What he is really doing is making me aware that he is looking at my body and commenting that it is close to his standards of beauty. For another example, I make wine, and that is a position traditionally held by a male. We do a lot of heavy lifting, pushing heavy things across the floor, etc. When an older man at work stops what he is doing to come over and help me, he thinks he is being helpful. From my perspective, his move was inefficient, because he slowed us down by stopping the flow of activity to come help me with something I never needed help with in the first place. It is challenging when these things happen, because it could be a teaching moment, where I tell these men exactly what I've written here, but then as I mentioned, people become defensive because they are acting as they always have. It's just that their behavior is appropriate for a different era. A lot of this is about perspective, and retraining people stuck in the only way they know how to operate.

When did you first notice that society treated men and women (or boys and girls) differently?
Honestly, I thought men and women had a level playing field until I gained a more prominent role in the wine industry in my early 20's. I was raised in a very liberal California town and growing up, my parents always told us that everyone was equal, and I believed them. I had a 4.0 gpa, I was great at sports, I worked hard, and earned any excellence which I was awarded. My sex/gender didn't seem to matter at all. That was my lens through which I saw the world. I do recall in middle school, we were reading book where a family was putting together their daughter's dowry to offer to prospective husbands. I don't recall thinking "Wow, this is so inequitable." I recall thinking, "Wow, there is so much about the way the world operates that I just don't understand yet." Yet it didn't affect my lens. Even when I attended art school for undergraduate and graduate school, I didn't see men and women being treated differently. Once I started making wine, I started encountering some men with terrible attitudes toward women. Some men would try to cut me down, they would try to downplay my winemaking skills. Some men would even downplay my role in making my own wine! They would condescend to me and call me Princess, sweetie, honey, little girl, etc. That shit was a wakeup call to me, that not everyone was my friend, and while I would still be polite and respectful to al people, I simply didn't need to engage with these people and their toxicity. Because these biases were so new to me, I didn't internalize their criticism, it was just confusing behavior from men. The men I are up around were radical feminists. They didn't call themselves that, but creating a world for my sister and I to grow up in where we didn't know that there was gender bias, gave us an even playing field. These men I started encountering, made me realize that these guys were projecting their own issues with women or the world, onto me. The things they were saying to me had more to do with them, than me. Now that I'm a mom with a daughter of my own, I observe the subtle differences of how we talk to young girls and boys. Male toddlers are all called, "champ, sport or buddy." These are terms that adult males refer to each other as as well.Toddler girls are , "sweetie, honey or baby." These subtle differences contribute to the ingrained infantilization of women, and feeds the beast of how we teach others to speak to us. Even though I am aware of this, I often call my daughter sweetie, or honey. The way I mitigate manifesting these biases is by mixing a few "champ, sport or buddy" loving terms in there. I also buy boys clothes for her a lot, because I want her to wear a plain green t-shirt, and not a pink shirt with a purple glittery unicorn that says, "I'm a princess."

How do you maintain your resiliency in these times? 
Champion the good men and women who are truly good people. Let the cream rise to the top; the universe takes care of bad people anyway-nothing to waste my energy over. Tell the good men that you appreciate them. Manifest the greatness.

Why do you think past movements haven't moved the needle for women?
In the past 100 years, women have made leaps and bounds compared to history. We gained the right to vote, to work outside the house, to marry whomever we choose, to wear pants! Yet, it is really the tip of the iceberg if we're talking about actual equality.

Do you think the current movement will be the one to change things for future generations?
I think the generation of kids and teenagers coming up right now are extremely cognizant of the recent progress and the struggles of women, people of color, LGBTQ folks, etc. These kids seem to be a very kind, thoughtful and woke generation who are genuinely interested in pursuing real equality for all humans. GO KIDS!!!!

What needs to happen for us to move forward?
Not to sound awful, but the sexist, racist good ole' boys club of yesteryear needs to die off. And they are. Unfortunately, the good ones from that generation die too, i.e. my family of radical feminist men- gone too soon. I think as younger generations become more prominent, we are replacing bigoted people with people who refuse to accept discrimination as a way of life.

What can women do to make it better for other women? 
LIFT EACH OTHER UP. Compliment your fellow woman on her achievements. Help her if you see her struggling...fix her crown without telling anyone it was crooked in the first place. Collaborate with other woman and the good men. There are so many good men out there. Do your best. Have a great attitude-for you. A positive mental attitude can turn a rainy day into sunshine. A wise man once told me, "No one is in charge of your feelings and emotions, but you." As in, no one can make you have a bad day.

What can men do to make it better for women? 
There are some great men out there, and I do believe that the reason that women have made so much progress in the past few years is because men are allowing it. I know-that sounds fucked up, but think about it...for all of human history, women have been second class citizens. The Good Men are listening, and they are opening the door for women to speak. Go, good men!!

Were there any influences you found growing up that inspired or drove you? Annie Lebowitz, Anne Frank, Alannis Morisette, Erykah Badu, Lena Dunham, Mindy Kaling, RBG, Michele Obama, Carol Shelton, Eileen Crane, Alice Waters, Gloria Steinem, Sarah Sze, Katniss, Arya Stark, L7, Care Bears, Gem, Babysitters Club.

WOMAN 2020 is a photo essay featuring portraits and interviews with 20 women in this time of change.