Being born and raised in the South has taught me

plenty of things: how to not hate the summer heat, how to follow up anything you say with “ma’am” or “sir,” and how to go to church every Sunday with your family, to list just a few. But being a millennial and a first-hand witness to the rise of the role of women, I've learned a whole new set of things: how to make your own success, how not to take anyone’s crap and how to shape your own opinion of the world that could greatly impact our society.

We all learned in American history – at least those who paid attention in high school – that there was hardly any consideration of women during the dawn of our country. But hundreds of years later, we ladies have overcome social barriers, oppression, denial of rights and unrealistic expectations with the help of trailblazers like Sacajawea, Harriet Tubman, Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks, among hundred of others women.

But in the South, time stands still. There’s a sense of the Old South that may forever withstand the testament of time. As Southern women, do we stand with it or do we completely reject those Southern ideals in order to keep up with feminism?        

In my opinion, the modern Southern woman is a force to be reckoned with. She can kick a** while looking fabulous in Lilly Pulitzer. She remains close to her family morals while creating her own. She believes in God, but believes in herself to carry out her hopes and dreams.                    

Goodbye to the times of Scarlet O’Hara and a man ever telling us, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” A modern Southern woman doesn’t need a man to have worth in society. In fact, if any man does her wrong, she goes about her business with a smile on her face and a middle finger on her mind.              

Ladies, be proud of where you come from. You come from a legacy of smart, witty, well-dressed, fast women who revolutionized what it means to be a lady of the South. Just because there is an old fashion mentality that we were raised in, it doesn’t mean we are any less aware of what we deserve from society.                    

By 2020, women will make up 57 percent of those in the workplace. All across the nation, more women are going to be CEOs and entrepreneurs. We are truly running the world, as Beyoncé declared, but as Southern ladies, we are able to enjoy our world domination in seersucker while drinking sweet tea.