I've been lucky. My parents, from when I was a very young age, have always taught me that I can say "No." Not all girls are so lucky. There are countless times a woman is told to say nothing at all rather than state her decline. There are countless times a girl is told to keep her opinions down while men contradict what they believe to be injustice towards them. Of course, this cannot discount the men who have been raised to keep their own feelings down, but the type of behavior taught to girls is dangerous.

If a girl is told that she can't say "No" to basic things, then when it comes to something more extreme they will follow the same pattern. However, I'm not here to talk about issues of consent.

My main focus is on the little things in life that girls find themselves forced to do because they aren't supposed to decline it. The biggest one I tend to notice is when girls find themselves juggling a million plans because they can't say "No." They feel obligated to their friends, and they feel obligated as women to be accommodating to people they're seen to care about.

I'm here to tell you. It's okay to say "No." If there is a situation you don't want to be in, a person you don't want to hang out with, or you want some time to be alone, then you can say "No." Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself.

Then, there's the girl that says "Yes" to a date she doesn't want to go on, but she's taught it's rude not to. Or the girl who has to give a fake number or name of a fake boyfriend because a guy respects another guy and a piece of paper with ink on it instead of the woman in front of him.

There's the girl that says "Yes" to her first time because she's taught that's how things are supposed to go. There's the girl that says "Yes" to paying for you, and there are the people who take advantage of the phrase "I forgot my wallet."

There are people who take advantage of the silences, of the "Yes," of the fake number, of the fake boyfriend, of the kindness women give blindly to others because they're taught that's the way they're supposed to act--people will always be there to take advantage and you have to realize when they are and when to say "No."

Don't let someone guilt you into thinking you've done something wrong when you're only doing something for yourself once. Don't be afraid to choose you every once in a while. You're the only one you have in the end, and never let that change.

"No" is not a curse word. It's not a threat. It's not a weapon. It's a word that you can use when you feel like you don't agree with something. No one should be able to take that away from you.