I am proud to be a woman! I am a feminist. What is expected of a woman has slowly changed over the centuries. Women have more rights and respect than the expectations of women in the 18th and 19th centuries ‘“Women were ‘recommended stay home, look after their children, cook their husbands’ dinners, empty the slops, and generally attend to the domestic affairs for which Nature designed them’” (nzhistory.govt.nz)
Two women in the history books challenged this idea of women. Kate Sheppard was a suffragette who represented New Zealand for females’ rights to vote. Kate wrote to the news outlets, representing the women’s suffrage campaign. She is an inspiring woman who allowed NZ women to become the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote during the suffragette movement in 1893
Rosa Park was an African American, who was a civil rights activist in 1955. She refused to give up her seat for a white male as part of the Montgomery bus boycott. Her actions played a crucial role in influencing the civil rights movement.
I have gathered up ways of how you can choose rule the world.
- R-E-S-P-E-C-T
The definition of respect is “A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, and or achievements.” (https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com)
- Our emotions motivate how we view ourselves as women and impact the decisions we make to be who we are or who we want to become. That’s why we need to respect ourselves, one way is thinking positively which provides the belief that you are a strong badass woman! Think about this saying in the back of your mind from RuPaul’s drag race, “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you going to love somebody else!”
Honesty
Show others your true self, don’t hide behind the makeup, big sunglasses, and the ‘successful job!’ It’s a small part of who you are. Think about the rest of your life, your values, who are you? Being your true self is rewarding because others will respect you for you!
For years I hid behind a mask, of makeup and fancy expensive clothes and handbags. I looked at myself in the mirror thinking all of this would make me feel better about myself. It didn’t. I hated myself, and I believed I was ugly and needed makeup and the fake persona will make me feel more beautiful and worthy
Giving yourself grace on the bad days
We all have good and bad days. Don’t beat yourself up if you are tired, or feeling vulnerable and need a good cry, that shows you are human! No one is always feeling on top of the world every day! Take time to tell yourself “you’re OK, I’m just having a bad day. It will get better…” Think about what you can do to help yourself get through the day, and remember tomorrow is another day you can start fresh.
Celebrate the small things in life
Any achievement and (just) being you, are worth celebrating. Celebrate whether you’ve made it through the “worst day of your life”, or turning a year older, you only are your age once! A celebration is a good reason to show respect towards yourself and others
2. Confidence
Confidence is defined as “A feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one’s abilities or qualities” Oxford dictionary (https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com)
- Make no apologies for doing you! Confidence is about caring for yourself and respecting yourself. You know your strengths and weaknesses and have a positive view of yourself. You set realistic expectations and goals, you’re straight-up in conversations, and you can handle criticism. Confidence can be about surrounding yourself with people, who make you feel supported and secure, which gives you a confidence boost.
- I have given up drinking because I have realised I have so much more energy and my INR test is stable after years of trying to make it stable while drinking.
3. Having a sense of belonging
Having a sense of belonging is defined as “Feeling of belongingness always spreads love and nurtures a society. … This sense of belongingness develops love, bond, and a desire to give back to society, which helps in improving and developing the society.” (https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com)
- Building a sense of belonging requires active effort and practice. Ask yourself “What does belonging mean to you? One way to work on increasing your sense of belonging is to look for others who empower you as a woman, who have similar interests and beliefs.
- Strong Women need to stick together! World domination starts with a group of strong women who believe the same. Get out of your comfort zone, join ‘women empowerment groups’. You will never find your sense of belonging just sitting around and expecting them to come to you.
- Having a sense of belonging helps to build confidence and respect for yourself and others. Another way to build your sense of belonging is to have respect for others and respect for yourself.
- The feeling of belonging provides you a sense of being accepted and self-respect. Know that you are respected! If you are respected for who you are, you become more confident within yourself!
“Be bold enough to use your voice. Be brave enough to listen to your heart. Be strong enough to create the life you deserve.” — www.womenblazingtrails.com
