I know, we've all heard it. Every female when they're single says, "I'm an independent woman that don't need no man!" Although this phrase is funny and something we often joke about, what do we really mean? What does it really mean to be "that independent woman that don't need no man"?

That is something I aspire to be, that woman. "That independent woman that don't need no man". People assume in saying that you want to be "that independent woman that don't need no man" that it means you want to be single and independent. That you don't need a boyfriend or a husband, that you want to be single forever. That's not what it means at all. While it can and does mean that sometimes with some people, it can apply to people in relationships as well. I think that's where people get it wrong. They think and say that it's only for single women who can do everything for themselves. Like, "Ooh girl, I can open this jar of pickles on my own without a 'man's strength' (in quotations because in reality, we all know you've had to open something for a man before too) AND pay the bills!" No, it doesn't. It means much more.

I am in a committed relationship, but that doesn't mean that I can't be an independent woman (yes-- I'll say it again) that don't need no man. In saying this, I'm not saying I don't like my boyfriend or I don't want him around, but what it means, at least to me personally, is that I aspire to be a woman who can survive on her own. It means I aspire to be a woman who can support herself financially. It means I aspire to be a woman who can not only be alone if I need to be, but be content if I am. It means that I am not reliant on my significant other for happiness, but myself. It means without someone else by my side, I am still capable. It means that I don't need to be around my significant other all the time, that we can be separate and still happy. It means that I can take care of myself. It means that I know how to get the job done without someone else's help, whether it be a man or not. It means that I can rely on myself. It means that alone I am strong, but I can be even stronger when accompanied by someone else, a significant other. I aspire to be "that independent woman that don't need no man" because that woman is a woman who is powerful.