Yesterday, I was talking to someone who asked me, "Why do you care? In a world that doesn't give a shit about you, why do you care about other women?" I had to think for a moment and the response hit me like a two-ton brick. I said, "Because. If I have learned anything is the chaos of this year, it is the people who society has deemed worthless or unnoteworthy that will change the world." It isn't the celebrities or the kings and queens in society, it is your average run of the mill person. Not the heads of corporations, but the worker bees. WE are the ones who will change the world.
So, why do I want to lift women up? Because I know what it is to struggle. I know what it is to look in the mirror and hate the person looking back. I know what it means to hear someone tell you that you're beautiful and not believe it for a moment. And I NEVER want another woman to feel that way about themselves.
I remember being a little girl and hearing my mom complain about her body. There was always something she hated. As I grew up, my body filled out differently than other girls. I was softer and rounder. And I began to hate it. After all, aren't we all supposed to be tall and model thin? I sort of grew into my curves by high school, but I hated those curves. Boys didn't want to date curvy girls back then. My, how the times have changed!
Why do I do this? Because I never want another woman to feel alone in her journey. I never want another little girl to put on a pair of leggings and look at her mom saying, "I look fat, Mommy." I never want another woman to feel like she has to put on make-up to feel beautiful. I'm learning to love myself without make-up. I notice myself sending selfies to a certain man without make-up more often. And I'm feeling more confident each time. And trust me...confidence is a helluva lot sexier than any face full of make-up I can put on.
I also never want another woman, young woman, or sweet girl to feel like she needs to apologize for taking up space on this planet. The price of your existence is not your beauty! It is your kind and gentle heart. It is your compassion toward others. It is your brains and your talents that you contribute to the world. It is your attitude, your smile, your badassery! It is the unique items you bring to the worldly table. It's not whether or not you have children, how clean you keep your home, or how beautiful and thin you are. The price of taking up space on Earth is how you treat the other lives that share the world with you.
The poor person who asked this question didn't realize just how passionate I was about this. About lifting up other women, showing them they're not alone on their various journeys, empowering each and every one of us, about giving a voice to those who have been silenced.
Funny thing is...neither did I! So, do you wanna know why I do this? For you! For me! Because we deserve so much more!