Why do we say "sorry" all of the time? Stop it. Stop saying "sorry" and stop being "sorry." I guess that I've always subconsciously known this, but it wasn't until today that I realized how often girls say "sorry" to each other and to everyone else.
"Sorry for looking like such a mess."
"Sorry, but I don't eat meat."
"Sorry, but can you turn the music down? It's quiet hours."
The word "sorry" has built up from years of women not being able to say what they really wanted to say because they were constantly told to be "ladylike." Obviously, speaking your mind is clearly very "un-ladylike." However, it is now the 21st century and it's time to stop saying "sorry."
Instead of saying "sorry," say what you really mean. When you get a salad with ranch dressing, just explain that you choose to be vegan and that you would rather have a salad that doesn't contain dairy. When your hallmates are blasting Spotify until 3:00 a.m., tell them directly that it's finals season and ask them to turn their music down. The problem is solved simply by omitting the word "sorry" and replacing it with what you really mean.
This is not to say that all men are rude and unapologetic. However, it's rare that you would hear someone of the male sex apologize for how they "look like such a mess." Do not apologize for not having a professional hair stylist and makeup artist at your expense every day. Looking like Kylie Jenner is not your job. You are a real woman with real problems and you don't have time to worry about superficial issues. You should not have to apologize for this.
Be proud to be who you are and stop apologizing for it. If you want to be polite, say "please" or "excuse me." "Sorry" is extreme and it's a lie. You're not "sorry," you're just trying to be polite and follow the culture of women apologizing for being who they are because they weren't allowed to be who they were before. That situation is now in our past and it's time to start speaking like it.
