Let Us Continue To Be Brave Women

We, the women of today, stand together. We support, celebrate, and encourage one another.

This past year, we learned how united of a front we could be when women began coming forward and sharing their “me too” stories. Women showed vulnerability in sharing experiences that had left the worst impression on them. They did this because they were confident no one would judge them, and hoped rather, that their honesty would be empowering to another woman suffering in silence.

We are strong women with powerful voices and the potential to change the way people see things. We are confident in the words we speak and fearless in what we say and do.

Not in a “zero fucks given” kind of way, but in a way that inspires growth and provokes thought. In a way that shows we can be sympathetic to one’s issues, as well as contribute ideas to help them move through those issues. In a way that shows we do more than just “hear them,” we are actually listening to them. In a way that shows we genuinely care.

We are daughters, mothers, lovers, and friends. We provide, we take care, we live with passion, we love deeply. We show love in different ways. We can be nurturing and handholding for our loved ones, or we can take a more methodical role, helping guide them to where they’re trying to go, and supporting them while they try.

Any way we show our love, heart on our sleeve or emotions kept private, it’s still love.

We need to remember that we are not rivals in our day to day life and that we shouldn’t be competing against or trying to outdo one another. Competition is expected in the workplace at times and in athletics, but competition can also wreak havoc. We shouldn’t compete to “get” the man another woman loves, or compete for adoration from others, or pride ourselves on making another woman look bad in a situation. But if competition is the game, let’s compete against ourselves and strive to be better than the person we were yesterday. Let’s do our best, and be confident knowing that our best is more than enough.

We have no right to judge another woman, no matter her indiscretions, no matter how differently we would’ve acted in a situation. We will never be perfect, therefore, never in a position where it’s okay to judge, because judging one another sets a precedent for everyone to judge all of us. So before you make a statement about another woman, know that in any given moment where someone doesn’t agree with your actions, you could be on the receiving end of the same judgement.

It’s a beautiful thing that we can be so strong together, and yet we tear each other down. We forget that the beauty of humanity is that we’re all incredibly unique. The manner in which we do things, the way we look, our strengths as well as our flaws, can never be exactly replicated by another. We sometimes forget to appreciate this beauty in each other. Let’s try to do better… collectively as women. 

Let us continue to stand together, to not shame one another, to be open, and accepting of situations or beliefs we don’t agree with. Let us continue to speak our truths, knowing that even though they may not be the truths of others, we’re allowed to confidently live by them. Let us continue to share and be vulnerable without fear of judgement… let us continue to be brave.