The more I work on building strong and healthy relationships with other females, the more I realize how terrible our education has been. I like to think over how the way we’ve been raised and the things we’ve seen around us have made us weak and self-conscious.
Let me start by saying something we should tell ourselves more often: it is not your fault. The fact that you can’t put on a bikini due to the hurtful comments you received as a teenager or how you need male approval to just carry on – these are not because there’s something actually wrong with you. These actions are a direct result of the patriarchy, the society that surrounds you, the way you and the males around you have been educated. This is not normal, and it shouldn’t be this way.
We need a revolution. We need a strong network of females supporting their sisters, encouraging them to become who they want. Empowering every woman we have around us through feminism, body positive movements and reminders that there’s a whole industry that leaves off of our flaws. Plastic surgery, makeup companies, body and face lotion companies – they need our self-hatred to thrive. That’s why they show us unrealistic role models that none of us will never be able to achieve.
To start off our revolution, we need to protect the next generation. In order to do this, we need to watch our actions. When we are around little girls (our daughters, our nieces, our younger sisters etc.), we must be aware of the fact that we are their role models now. The relationship we show we have with our bodies will become our little loved ones relationship. If we are always struggling with our weight, talking about how we are fat and unworthy, they will quickly realize their value relies on their weight, their beauty, their physical aspect. This will shortly lead to self-conscious girls, and the circle starts again, over and over.
When we are around the females of the future, we need to make sure we let them know their kindness and their intelligence is far more important than their face and body.
We should ask them more questions like:
“What are you studying in school now?”
“What would you like to be when you’re older?”
“What are the things that inspire you to draw/dance/sing?”
So very often, we fall onto “Oh, you look so cute on that dress!” or “All the little boys in your class are for sure in love with you!” We need a counter-cultural movement that screams sorority, feminism and SELF-LOVE strongly, so that every girl in the world hears us.
The way we speak to ourselves becomes the way we let others speak to us. Remind yourself of your immense talent, your huge heart, your beautiful soul. Let everybody know that you know you’re worth it, and those who don’t see it, must have a problem within themselves.
We will never have enough LOVE in this world. But to love others, we ought to love ourselves first.
I have struggled more than I would ever wish upon anybody. However, I know so many other women that had had it tougher and tougher. I want to help them find their confidence. No one can grow without it.
I’m a happy girl who loves making others happy. I’m outgoing, smart and hardworking. I dream about changing the world. #SelfLoveClub
What are YOU? You are more than a body, a face. What do you want them to see when they look at you? Let me know. Let us know. Let’s show the world we are not going to let them make us feel small anymore. We are now part of the #SelfLoveClub. And we are PROUD.