Growing up anyone can tell you that I went from loving dresses and the color pink to hating anything that wasn’t jeans and dark colors. I was the type of girl who loved Barbie’s and had a pink room with princess stuff all around. Dressing up was one of my favorite things and I absolutely loved the game Pretty Pretty Princess. From a young age girls are taught that if you’re super girly you won’t be taken seriously. It’s show in TV shows and movies, even books. You can’t be smart and super girly because girly girls are supposed to be dumb. In fact, the first time I ever saw a movie about someone who was super girly AND shown as smart was Legally Blonde. That’s the first time I realized that it’s possible to be both.

I’ve even seen other girls tear down girls who choose to do their hair and makeup every morning and wear dresses and heels every day. I’m not going to lie I used to be one of those girls but then I realized that once again girly does not equate to dumb. It’s possible to enjoy girly things while still kicking ass and being a strong woman. It’s a stereo type I wish that would cease to exist.

My dark clothes and dark color lifestyle lasted well into my freshman year of college before I realized that I shouldn’t be afraid to wear dresses and makeup. I fully embrace dress and skirts now even though sometimes those dresses and skirts are black as they can be. Something about dressing nice and caring about the way I look makes me feel good about myself and I’m not going to give that up just because a few girls are going to judge me on it.

Being a girly girl doesn’t mean that I’m dumb or ditzy. It doesn’t mean that I rely on others and don’t have any type of drive in my life to do things. It just means I like makeup and clothes all while striving to achieve my goal because make up does not equal dumb or ditzy. It doesn't mean that I don't have any type of self respect or hate myself. It means that I'm secure enough as myself that I can be myself without fear of being judged.

So embrace that make-up and those dresses, embrace loving the color pink and getting your nails done but remember just because a girl is super girly it doesn’t mean they’re not smart or career driven. Just remember Elle Wood and inspire to be like her.