Weâve witnessed incredible progress in the status of women in the past 100 years. That said, the demographic that makes up nearly 49 percent of all people is still due some postponed justice. And among those are many a strong woman ready to shine in the limelight.
Although there is much debate regarding the true âstatusâ of women in society, consider these statistics:
– Women earn 21 percent less pay than men. The average earnings for a man in 2013: $50,033. A woman: $39,157.
– Of all Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Fortune 500 companies, just 22 of them are women.
– In a study of 272 women, 54 percent reported having experienced workplace sexual harassment.
We venture a guess (and hope) that most people reading this article hold the viewpoint that both genders are equal. Different, but equal. Sadly, society as a whole has obliviously failed â on numerous occasions â to bridge the gap that exists between the sexes.
As a result, women have had to endure struggles that are not often voiced. Consequently, most women have inherently strengthened themselves from having to endure unjust treatment. Problems persist, but so does the female will.
âIâm tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.â – Madonna
This segues into this article, â10 Things to Stop Giving a Damn About When Youâre a Strong Woman.â While the title may sound somewhat combative, it is not intended to be as such. But the truth is that women do need, and should have, internal characteristics that help them navigate a society that can be very challenging.
Here are 10 things strong women don’t give a damn about:
1. Giving a damn about fashion
Some women love fashion for the sake of the art, and thatâs different. But âkeeping up with the Jonesesâ is not something women should take particular pride in. The purchase of an overpriced garment â one that will be âout of fashionâ in a month or two, is definitely not something a strong woman should give a damn about!
2. Giving a damn about a bad âexâ
Many men have no quibbles about giving women a heads-up in the âclassâ category. Hey, when the majority of crimes are committed by men â including aforementioned, ubiquitous sexual harassment â there should be faint argument otherwise.
That said, strong woman, despite all of your good intentions, stop giving a damn about that unsavory character you once called a âboyfriend.â
3. Giving a damn about âstaying in your placeâ
This is not 1916, itâs 2016. Women should not feel obliged to remain content with âkeeping quiet,â âkeeping about the household,â and other antiquated, compartmentalized roles they âshouldâ have. Give us all a break. Strong woman, you donât need to âstay in your place;â quite the contrary, we need your good head and heart to venture outside of it.
4. Giving a damn about toxic relationships
Kind of related to #2, but more broad in scope. Most women are incredibly empathetic and loyal, and some are prone to avoid conflict with whoever may be toxic in their life. The truth is that some people are bad for us, even if they do not recognize it.
5. Giving a damn about mistakes made
This one applied to both sexes, but strong women shouldnât get too carried away by past mistakes. As mentioned, women have a tendency to âfeelâ a bit deeper than their male counterparts; this includes feeling mistakes for a period of time far beyond committing them. Rest assured, strong woman, youâve got much to offer beyond some silly mistake.
6. Giving a damn about Facebook, Twitter, SnapchatâŚ
In itself, there is nothing wrong with social media…it is just a tool. But, as with many other things people have managed to somehow screw up, we manipulate the tool to be something for which it wasnât designed.
The prolific use of social media has had a ânet negativeâ effect for many women, particularly teens and young adults. The simply reason is that we place far too much emphasis on who pays attention to us (i.e. âlikesâ or âfriendsâ). Who cares? Be you strong woman, be you!
7. Giving a damn about a so-called âperfect bodyâ
OkâŚfirst off, this doesnât exist. What exactly is a âperfect bodyâ? Who gets to decide what constitutes a âperfect bodyâ? Some men do not particularly care for a slim, toned look for females; yet, it is so heavily propagated in a myriad of media outlets.
Itâs difficult to explain exactly why this is, but one theory is money. Thereâs a lot of revenue in fashion (surprise!) and in publishing, and the âforces that beâ have decided for us what body form to emulate and admire. Who gives a damn?
8. Giving a damn about status
Thereâs a lot of âstatusâ related things on this list isnât there? Sadly, our society pushes the âlatest and greatestâ onto young women more than any other demographic. Again, money is deemed to be the culprit here.
That aside, just be your âbest you.â Define âsuccessâ on your own terms. Strong woman, your perceived âstatusâ will never define your true character.
9. Giving a damn about conformity
Outside of a few distant places, women have the right to speak their minds. If youâre fortunate enough to live in such a place, please do so!
Strong woman, we need your input. Youâre smarts, strong character and good heart are all desperately needed in this day in age!
10. Giving a damn about other peopleâs opinions
âYou donât have a right to your own opinion, you have a right to an informed opinion.â This statement, while certainly subjective in nature, can indeed apply to oneâs character. Unfortunately, there are so many assumptions made about a womanâs character that has absolutely nothing to do with the truth.
So, strong womanâŚstop giving a damn about someoneâs uninformed opinion!
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