Ever since we were little girls we have been conditioned to not speak up and not take up space. We were taught to fit the mold and be “normal”. When I was in high school I did what I wanted, wore what I wanted, and I was and still am very opinionated. A lot of people, specifically men, did not like that. We need to have a voice and stand up for ourselves because we need women in power. We cannot keep hiding in shells only to let the world walk all over us.
In this world women in power are seen as a joke. When we speak up, set boundaries, or become assertive we are seen as mean, emotional, or too demanding. For example, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a representative for New York’s congressional district and she receives an extreme amount of hate because she is a woman who speaks her opinions loudly. She gave a speech stating “Representative Yoho put his finger in my face he called me disgusting, he called me crazy, he called me out of my mind, and he called me dangerous” (Grant el al.,2020). Not only did he say those words to her face, but he proceeded to call her the b-word in front of reporters. When this is how society treats women in higher positions we tear ourselves down and become less confident.
We cannot completely control how other people view us, but we can fully control how we view ourselves. We can either let every degrading word break us down, or we can walk away and think about how amazing we are. It’s hard to build up the confidence to speak up and learn self-worth, but we can try.
To start gaining confidence in speaking your opinions you have to remember that you are not alone. I always tell myself that If I think this way about something then someone else does too. Start with talking about your opinions and beliefs with your friends so you are in a comfortable setting. This will help you become more comfortable with talking about certain topics in any setting you are in. You might find yourself bringing it up in a conversation, in class, or a debate. We are allowed to be loud and speak our minds.
Women in any position tend to get degraded and make jokes like “She slept her way there” or “She only got it because she is a woman”. We become what we are because we are strong, intelligent, and powerful women but we tend to forget this. When I become insecure about my life path I take a second and think of something I have accomplished. Whether it was receiving an award or getting an A on a test I know I got it for a reason. We don’t give ourselves enough credit for everything we have done in life, but we should because no one else does. Comment something that you have accomplished in your life! To help make a change share this post with women you know.
Grant, C., David, Mcallister, L., Boldenow, B., Sherry, Lulu, . . . Neilson. (2020, July 24). AOC takes on sexism and abusive speech toward women: How the media covered it. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-ted-yoho-speech/
