Because women are trained to be as perfect as possible from the very beginning of their life, there are certain things that we are taught not to do. We shouldn't burp, we shouldn't eat too much and we shouldn't grow too much hair. Basically, we shouldn't act like normal human beings. Though I am completely against the standards that women should follow, I do believe there are some simple things we could avoid doing in order to be more confident. In particular, three different phrases that women should totally let go of.
1. "Sorry"
I never realized this until recently, but women will apologize for anything from talking more than they think they should or asking a question they think is stupid. In a small class that I have this semester at a women's college, we are often required to create visual presentations of things such as photography or videos we create. On several different occasions, students would walk up to the front of the room and apologize for their piece before it was even shown. After a while, our instructor completely banned this phrase because she was so devastated that so many of the women didn't have faith in themselves. The truth is, when you don't present confidence in your own work, people will be disappointed in you before you even get to your presentation or message. Whether you are communicating your strongest pieces of work or your not-so-good work, people will be impressed no matter what if you present a little self-assurance.
2. "Just"
This is another phrase that I have caught myself saying all too often. When I first began an internship last summer, I was to present my position with several other women who were working various internships as well. Some were interning with radio stations, some animal exhibits and some doing advanced chemistry work with the city's water utility testing the water to ensure it is safe for drinking. Every position was so impressive that I was embarrassed to mention mine. When it was time to speak I said, "I'm just the content creator for a Milwaukee Property Management Company". However, when people became interested in knowing what kind of marketing and writing I actually did, I realized that I'm not "Just" anything. As long as you are proud of what you are doing, there is no need to downplay yourself. This taught me that I am only in competition with myself, not anyone else.
3. "You Guys"
Being the big girl power activist that I am, I'm sure the fact that I don't like this phrase is no surprise to anyone. A couple of years ago when I first began giving speeches, I was criticized for saying "You guys" to the audience of a group of women. It made me realize how often this phrase is tossed around subconsciously. If we really want to be as equal as men, it starts by avoiding phrases that are literally only directed to them.
Despite common expectations, women will never be perfect. Because we acknowledge that, we must also acknowledge our words that aren't necessary. We don't need to apologize for every mistake we make, we don't need to think of ourselves as "just" something because we don't believe we are as good as others and we don't need to call anyone "you guys" because we are women.
