I posted this article on Facebook, and I read this one a while back.
I don’t agree with all of them. Women need to apologize for some things just like everyone else. And, being assertive does not mean we can walk all over people to get what we want or be rude. I especially don’t think we should stop telling other people yes and stop telling ourselves no. I think as a whole, twenty-something-year-old women are becoming more and more selfish and self absorbed and should probably commit more to doing for others and less to “pampering” themselves.
It didn’t escape my attention either that the first one, the buzz feed article, is sponsored by Pantene.
Have you guys seen their new ad campaign? I like all the things it makes me feel.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjNcZvwjxI&w=560&h=315]
I like female empowerment. It’s a big part of why I run. It makes me feel powerful.
I’m not of the crazy feminist variety, but I think women can do a lot more than they are. For me, it’s not all about how many women are in Congress or even about how much women get paid. It’s about expecting more from women, setting women up to not be helpless. Then, it can carry over into women raising strong babies that aren’t helpless, dream big, and set their own standards according to what works best for them. Men have a part in this too. They’ll expect more from us women the more we expect of ourselves. The hope is that it will be less about who stays home with the kids or who makes more money in the household and more about supporting each other.
I think where we get stuck, unfortunately, is when we see other women succeeding at their life goals, whatever those are. As my mom says “Comparison steals your joy.” It happens a lot more often now that you can look on Facebook and see Holly Highschool get that amazing internship in Nashville or Charlie Church girl’s adorable babies’ pinterest worthy photos and we think we are doing something wrong on our own journey and get discouraged. We get overwhelmed with all the things we want and say “Well, I’ll never have that “fill-in-the-blank” and so starts the pity party funk of all we have not accomplished and how life isn’t what we thought it’d be.
If we just realized that encouraging each other is so much better of a way to help other women reach their goals and reach our own goals. Because when it comes down to it, you don’t really want their life, as perfect as it looks on Instagram. You want your life because its the one you’ve been given. And its a good one.
“Though it may feel otherwise, enjoying life is no more dangerous than apprehending it with continuous anxiety and gloom.” -Alain de Botton
So here’s my list of things women should quit doing.
1. Quit comparing their lives to other people- online or in person.
2. Being  ungrateful for what you have.
3. Quit acting like you aren’t strong, because you are.