I've come a long way in my journey of self-love and self-acceptance, considering where I was one year ago. One year ago, I ended the most painful and downright abusive romantic relationship that I'd ever been in; I learned a lot from walking away from both that man and that situation. I'm not going to write an article that will totally bash him, because quite frankly, I'd prefer never to speak of those God-awful details concerning him or the relationship ever again.

But, I will say that the entire experience of what our relationship became has taught me some truly valuable life lessons. I've learned that it's important to step back and evaluate my own personal behavior because it definitely takes two to create a toxic, abusive relationship. However, I've also learned that, while I might have been toxic myself, I did not deserve the emotional trauma that this man put me through. This lesson was one of the key things that I had to realize after I left that situation: nobody deserves to be made to feel like they are small and insignificant.

What does any of the above information have to do with being the "smart girl?"

Well, a lot actually.

A lot of women are either implicitly or explicitly told that being the "smart girl" is unattractive and geeky. (No, this ex of mine never directly said anything like that, but I certainly felt like those messages could have been subversively thrown at me. Being made to feel small and insignificant is how a lot of smart girls have been made to feel.) Being book-smart and life/street-smart aren't always aspects of someone's personality that have to be independent qualities. Oftentimes, a lot of insights into life situations can be found in combining the two.

Yes, I definitely identify with the book-smart label. I've always been known as a girl who has her head in a book and, being a self-published poet, has written a few books herself. It's not too far of a stretch for me to say that I've learned to wear this label proudly. Being the "smart girl" is not a bad thing at all.

There is so much intellectual and even self-love/acceptance-type power that comes from both knowing who you are and daring to be uniquely yourself in a world that constantly tries to put you in a box and tell you where you belong.

We are all incredibly and beautifully unique in our own ways, and a lot of women are either explicitly or implicitly told to dumb themselves down simply because it's not seen as socially "cool" to be the smart girl. I'm calling bull.

So what if a woman just happens to be smarter than a man? So what if a woman is more knowledgeable on a certain subject than a man? If a man is that sexist and small-minded to have a problem with not being the smartest or best-qualified candidate for a task, then that's his own personal problem to work through. Because we happen to live in a patriarchal society that seems to favor men and designate women as the "lower-level" species, it's not a surprise that there are incredibly unjust practices that have gone on for centuries. (Here's looking at you glass ceiling, the wage gap, men's input on women's healthcare, etc.)

What better way to start breaking this cycle of inequality than daring to be yourself? Dare to be the "smart girl." Dare to take up space, be loud, be "bossy," question the status quo, argue for change, and dare to do anything else that breaks the cycle of women's roles in society being placed below men's.

Now, I'm not one for misandry, and I certainly don't think that women are above men in any way, shape, or form. I simply, fervently, and wholeheartedly believe that breaking this cyclical notion of a woman being less than a man starts with the simple yet radical decision to be exactly who you are; yes, I'm talking about daring to be the book-smart, street-smart, cultured ones.

Being the "smart girl" is not a bad thing at all! Being the smart girl just lets women from all walks of life step into their personal power.

Dare to love yourself enough to not hide all of those beautiful, wonderful, and incredibly intelligent parts of yourself that society might make you feel aren't "ladylike."