Dear Men, Stop Disturbing Women You Aren't Ready For

I was scrolling through twitter the other day and saw this tweet.

*Immediately favorites and retweets*

As I analyzed the tweet more though, I began to think, "What's so true about this tweet that made you retweet it so quickly?" and that's when these thoughts came to mind:

There are some BADASS women in this world, but why does it seem that the most amazing women are so often taken for granted by men who simply cannot handle their strength?

Before I start, I wanted to say that this idea can indeed go both ways, however I've observed more instances where strong women have been taken for granted by men who came into their lives (knowing they weren't ready to be with them) only to hurt them and leave them questioning who they are and what they did wrong, when they were never the problem in the first place.

For the men reading this, I'm sure your eyes are starting to roll, followed by a few "Just another hurt woman talking about how men are bad" remarks, but I want you to understand that us women know not all men are bad, misogynistic, players, who don't know how to treat us. Many of you are great, smart, men yourselves, but as women, a lot of us constantly search for answers as to why the strongest, smartest, most talented women get played by men-- men who knew they were not ready for our strength, to begin with.

Take Beyonce for example, one of the most talented, most beautiful, most iconic women our world knows. For many of us, we were aware of her strength and influence at a young age. I know for me, I grew up listening to both Destiny's Child and Beyonce as a solo artist, and always looked up to her and what she stood for. Today, she is married to arguably one of the best rapper's of all time, Jay Z, and together they are viewed as the most famous power couple in our society. Not only do they top the charts musically, but they have also influenced our world through business and philanthropy as well, making them that much more admirable.

But, before Beyonce and Jay Z were the strong couple they now are, he cheated on her. Jay Z took the queen of all queens BEYONCE KNOWLES for granted and cheated on her. Crazy right? Now, if you're anything like me, you're probably thinking how could someone ever cheat on someone as beautiful and talented as Beyonce?

That answer is unknown, but what I do know is that strong women are the most attractive, but can also be the most intimidating when it comes to how men view us. It seems as though both our beauty and strength draws men in, but many of these men we attract are not 100% ready to pursue us wholeheartedly. Could this be because our independence and strength acts as a challenge to them—a challenge they aren't ready to handle? Or could it be because we challenge them to open up and be men in ways they can't yet comprehend? (I only say this because it is a proven fact that women mature faster than men.) However, going back to my point about Jay Z and Beyonce, Jay opened up about his infidelity and what led him to do it. He spoke on the men he grew up with in Brooklyn and spoke on how many of them consolidated their pain and shut down emotionally, which then rubbed off on him. Jay said that by him repressing his feelings, it played a huge role in his relationship struggles with Beyonce, which then led to his infidelity.

This is where my point comes in that men should stop disturbing women they aren't ready for. One may say: "How can you know you aren't ready for something if you never try it?" but my answer to that is simple: If you know you aren't capable of loving a woman and being completely loyal to her, do not bother her. If a talented, motivated, kind-hearted woman is doing well, and you come into her life just to toy with her emotions, you are not only doing her an injustice but you are also doing yourself one. Grown men need to learn to stop playing games with women who would give them the world and more. Beyonce didn't deserve it, and neither do we.

So, to the men who are intrigued by us, but know they are not ready to handle us, kindly refrain from 'shooting your shot.' Although Beyonce and Jay Z worked it out and have their happily ever after, it doesn't work that way for everyone. And women, don't feel like you have to pick up the pieces in a relationship. Be the badasses you are and keep going like Beyonce did.