All too often, I have heard comments thrown about demeaning the way that many females dress, speak, dance, or present themselves on social media. This is just the beginning of the criticisms that us girls face. As summer approaches and we begin to break out our favorite crop tops and bikinis, I have found that these remarks begin to grow more and more frequent. It is to the point where I have even started to come across numerous articles and social media posts telling girls what bathing suit bottoms they should wear if they wish to be respected. But hear me out: women should not have to be modest in order to be respected.

It is a fairly outdated idea that if a woman wears revealing clothing, is content with casual relationships, or enjoys going out with her friends that she does not respect herself. She is often called an abundance of harsh names, and I cannot help but find this notion entirely ridiculous. Self-respect is not something that can be seen or determined by outward forces. Sure, how someone else chooses to behave or present themselves may make you develop a lack of respect for them, but how a woman feels about herself is entirely personal and private. A person can love themselves wholeheartedly and respect themselves more than anyone else, but they may do so differently than you might. If wearing a tight dress or a low cut blouse makes one female feel empowered and confident but another feel insecure, who are other people to judge? If one woman enjoys going out on the weekends or is not the most "lady-like" individual, does that mean she doesn't love herself? Does that mean she doesn't hold herself to certain standards? Most certainly not. We all show our confidence and respect for ourselves in different and incomparable ways, which is exactly why it is called self-respect. This is not something that can be determined by outward forces. So next time you think a woman is showing herself a lack of respect, consider maybe the way she sees respect is different than the way in which you view it.