Just for one second, contemplate, what exactly does it mean to be a young lady? For some of you, I’m sure an image of a particular type of woman popped into your head. She is probably well-mannered, dresses well, and has that ~classic~ timeless look that so many people strive for. When I thought about that for an extended period of time I realized that wow, maybe something that I’m striving to be isn’t my definition of a young lady at all. I feel that young women today are in a constant battle between being seen as “unladylike,” for being the true unfiltered versions of themselves and being seen as a sophisticated young woman in society today. While I’m all for having good etiquette and respecting others, why is it that only females are defined by these certain expectations in order to be seen as a decent human being?
Falling right under that umbrella of inadvertent womanly behaviors is number one pet peeve: “I’m sorry.” I’m positively sick of seeing women I’m close to and admire apologize for being ambitious or for making their well thought out, intelligent opinions known. It’s almost as if we as women have to apologize for taking up space in a world that was not designed to promote the success of women. Pay attention, and if you look closely, you’ll probably find that all successful men don’t really seem to have the same habit of apologizing for anything and everything like we do. For a man’s success, all he has to do is be assertive and not afraid to chase after what he wants. As women, we are constantly having to prove ourselves to show that we belong in the positions of leadership and authority that we do. Maybe it’s time that we demand better for ourselves and hold ourselves accountable; we as women do not need to apologize for being our gorgeous, talented, intelligent selves.
So I’m done saying sorry when I don’t really mean it. I think the biggest issue with sorry for me, is that I’d much rather have my sorry be a sincere apology rather than something I say to acknowledge something that happens which most likely isn’t a big deal. I just want to say that it’s possible to be a sophisticated, intelligent young woman that doesn’t need to minimize herself by apologizing all of the time. I want my ideas and opinions to be heard and valued. But mostly, I will not be sorry about being myself.