To the hardworking woman who has to go through multiple sleepless nights in order to get where she wants to be, puts her education and career before what is expected out of her and is labeled as selfish and a workaholic. To the man who dreams countless nights on his success by his ideas that are flooded by just taking a walk in the city and wants to start his own business but is shamed because it's not what is expected out of him.

I never got why certain aspects in life are reserved for a certain gender to fulfill. Such as marriage, continuing a higher education, starting a family at a certain age and so forth. Either why letting your guard down and showing any type of emotion from a man was shamed upon if done. Why a woman should not bring home more than her significant other and a man should never become a stay-at-home dad. These are the gender roles, though. They are based on the 'norms' that are assigned from the second you come into this world. You know, pink = girl while blue = boy.

Ever since we can remember, tall tales and movies portrayed over the years that the princess always waited and needed to be rescued and taken care of by the ever so trusted prince that she was destined to get married to. It was plain and simple— the woman was always helpless, in distress, lonely and needed a man to save her. After that, marriage and kids— end of story.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage?

Seriously?

It's 2016 – look around at what's happening.

What seems to be happening recently is the, sort of, "awakening" in our youth that the man doesn't always have to be the provider while the woman is stuck at home. More women are opening businesses, furthering their education and becoming more independent and confident of maintaining to take care of themselves. And we don't ridicule her if she does otherwise. The men are venturing more into what they haven't before as well.

A poem that I fell in love with, recited by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, on a track of a song on Beyoncé's album explains exactly what I mean. Here it is below:

"We teach girls to shrink themselves

To make themselves smaller

We say to girls

"You can have ambition

But not too much

You should aim to be successful

But not too successful

Otherwise you will threaten the man"

Because I am female

I am expected to aspire to marriage

I am expected to make my life choices

Always keeping in mind

That marriage is the most important

Now, marriage can be a source of

Joy and love and mutual support

But why do we teach to aspire to marriage

And we don't teach boys the same?

We raise girls to see each other as competitors

Not for jobs or for accomplishments

Which I think can be a good thing

But for the attention of men

We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings

In the way that boys are

Feminist: the person who believes in the social

Political, and economic equality of the sexes"

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"We Should All Be Feminists"

Conforming to societies expectations and assumptions is the worst way to live. I want each of us to have a genuine knowledge of oneself and what we want to aspire to in life. Whether it would be marriage, obtaining a higher eduction to better your life or pursuing a career that isn't expected out of you. Do what you please, please. Do not get caught up in the assumptions.