I have an important and noteworthy PSA to make: when women stand together in unity, we are unstoppable. To the young women who I've had the pleasure of meeting and the women I have yet to meet personally, I stand with you. No matter the shape, color, etc. I'm here to lift you up.
One of the things that inspire me to acknowledge and develop my own self-worth and the worth of other young women is my all time favorite T.V. show, Scandal. If you haven't seen it you're missing out and I would highly recommend 10/10. Regardless, the lead actress, Kerry Washington, goes by the name of Olivia Pope. She takes Washington D.C. by storm and is basically the most confident girl boss to ever exist. She is the epitome of grace, power, and class, all while being sexy as ever with the best wardrobe. Ever since I became hooked on Scandal, this authentic character is someone I aspire to be in my everyday life (minus her on-going affair with POTUS, but that's beside the point).
Reflecting back on my everlasting journey to becoming a real life Olivia Pope, I have surrounded myself with amazing young women. Being an only child, I was never able to experience that sisterly love, until I met my closest best friends who I love dearly. We support each other, pick each other up, and love each other unconditionally. My friends have helped me grow in ways I could never repay; I am truly indebted to them. With this being said, I would like to make a point: if a group of 5 girls has the power and ability to become unstoppable, I can only image what a group of 500 girls can do together. After all, women individually can do so much good, so women together become a force to be reckoned with.
Olivia Pope has this naturally assertive demeanor to her and no one can shake her of that, but developing an unwavering sense of self-worth and confidence in real life is hard! It doesn't happen overnight; it takes years and years to get to a place of security within yourself. This growing process (or as I like to put it, glowing process) is a blessing in disguise because you are on your way to greatness whether you see it or not. And on this journey, you will run into haters, boys who apparently have a lot to say, doubters, etc. Take these hits to your confidence in stride and turn your back to them so they can kiss your beautiful a$$ while walking away. Do not give another human that much power over you to knock your confidence, especially when you are in the process of creating yourself.
Your growth process is unique to you and it shouldn't matter how it looks to others. As young women, we need to dedicate time to ourselves to reach our full potential and establish unshakable confidence. Once we as women have acknowledged our sense of self and recognized our self-worth, it is much much easier to root for other women during their own unique journey. Because believe it or not we are all going through it, just at different paces. So instead of being envious of another girls eyelashes, tell her she looks bomb and ask her what kind of mascara she uses. If a girl has a nice butt, tell her! I promise she will appreciate that compliment coming from another female than from some guy she has no interest in. A continual effort to uplift women within society will not only help to improve the way we view one another, but also how we view ourselves.
In all honesty, society would be better off if girls empowered each other more often. In the recent years, women empowerment and feminism has practically become a social norm, which is amazing in itself. Feminism is used as a driving force of unity amongst all women and to promote good vibes! I want to remind everyone that it is crucial to keep this flow moving. Girls are so strong and powerful and magic is created when we all come together and uplift each other. We need to remind each other how important we are to the world. Moreover, if we find a support system within the female community, we won't need validation from any outside influences; we will have confidence shining just like the highlighter we apply to the high points of our cheeks. Because when another woman recognizes your worth, something about it makes you feel amazing and important. There is nothing like strong women uplifting each other.
This is my little contribution to remind us all to uplift one another consistently. So, if you're already a real life Olivia Pope, help a sister out. And if you don't think you are yet, keep striving. The world needs an army of Olivia Pope's, and we all have the potential to be one.
