Strength is the quality or sanctity of being strong or capable. When we think of strength, or try and use it in a description, we traditionally think of men. Men are stereotypically strong in nature; whether it comes to physical capability or emotional stability. As a little girl, I was always pressured into dresses and cute "gender appropriate" play dates. However, I always craved something more; I wanted to get dirty and play rough. You got it, I was the girl who wanted to play football. These interests never made me any less of a girl than what my biological classification did.

As I got older, and my body started to develop, I became more and more interested in working out. Not the typical "dainty" workout, but actual weight lifting. I yearned to see the progressive trimming, shaping and molding of my body. I enjoyed weighing myself, not for weight loss, but for hopes of muscle gain. I am among the few women who enjoy looking, as our generation refers to it, "jacked." Getting to college, I finally found a group of girls who share a common interest. We are the girls who you instantly notice walking into a room.The girls that can compete with men not only on the track but in the weight room, too. We constantly hear girls say that they do not want to lift too much in fear of someday looking like a man. This comment has never entered my mind.

Is it such a bad thing to be strong? Let's not focus on muscles entirely, but strength in general. Are women afraid to be categorized as strong because it somehow makes them unlovable? Does it make women unattractive to be strong? Our current generation demonstrates an interest in women who can be better a showcase than an asset in a relationship.

I had met a unique group of girls that showed me the true value of being strong. In fact, we crave to be stronger. What is so wrong with being able to carry yourself? Strength is what has gotten me where I am today, and I can't imagine myself without it. Aside from physical strength, being strong in general is also important. Women every day are degraded and pushed into a corner, categorized as weak or not as capable. It is important for us all to know that being strong doesn't mean we aren't capable of being loved, it just means we will be OK without it. We are strong independent women. If men can't understand or handle our physical or mental strength, then they just flat don't deserve us. Never let society tell you what is needed in yourself. Strength is a quality of survival; being strong is beautiful.