As a Spelman woman, you are encouraged in your undergraduate years to sell your brand. Unfortunately, in this process, Spelmanites themselves are branded and stereotyped in several different ways and trust me these get annoying and overused very quickly. Here are a few things Spelman students are tired of being called:

1. Bougie

This is probably the number one thing Spelmanites are called. I'm not going to lie, you do see a fair share of Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags, but you also see thrift store finds among Spelman students. A majority of Spelman students are truly down to earth.

2. Rich

Many people assume that Spelmanites hail from affluent and prominent families from across the country and the world. This makes up a tiny percent of people as the rest of students crowd into financial aid to figure out how they are going to afford next semester.

3. Too opinionated/angry

There's a joke among Spelman students that our favorite thing is a microphone. Spelmanites never back away from voicing our opinions. Just because we have strong opinions, does not mean we are angry.

4. Thinking We're Better Than Other HBCUs

While Spelman College is the #1 ranked HBCU in the country, this does not mean we have an arrogant attitude when it comes to other HBCUs. As a member of the Atlanta University Center, the world largest consortium of HBCUs, unity is highly practiced. We stand with our fellow HBCUs, not against them.

5. We Hate Men/Don't Need Men

There's no lie, Spelman women are strong. Strong women are often misconstrued as not needing men and having a need to be independent. There is a course unique to Spelman, ADW (African Diaspora and the World), that people believe teaches us to hate men. In reality, we learn to develop a sense of critical consciousness and learn African history. So no, we are not taught to hate men/that we don't need them; we are taught to be strong.

At the end of the day, Spelman women are strong and educated who seek to change the world one day.