Throughout history and even in modern times, the idea of femininity has been looked down upon, being characterized with adjectives such as "weak" or "fragile." The sheer idea of femininity has had a negative connotation for many, but what happens when a woman appears to the opposite: strong or self-sufficient? Society does not seem to approve of that either.

There are many times where I feel as though many members of society are not comfortable with acknowledging the idea of a woman being strong and unabashedly confident. In my experiences and from the experiences of those around me, men do not want to feel undermined by a woman, as if strictly gender has anything to do with intellectual capability, resilience, or character.

In order to be completely transparent with you, I must acknowledge that I do not believe that I am the most approachable person out there. Socially, I would like to say that I am up there (I like to talk a lot, in case you have not noticed), but in terms of certain experiences with other guys my age, I cannot help but feel that there is some sense of a power struggle.

While I do my best to be humble, I would respectfully like to add that I feel that I am a high achieving person by nature. I work hard in each and every avenue of my life, and I try to utilize my leadership and communication skills in ways that will create benefits for the greater good.

But there is a part of me that wants to just come out and say it: the way I carry myself might be intimidating for some people. Unfortunately, confidence and self-worth can be intimidating to others. Although I can happily say that I am in a place where I appreciate and acknowledge what I do, that just might not sit well with others. It can be hard for women to congratulate or acknowledge other women on their achievements, let alone a man letting go of his ego in order to acknowledge that a woman may have actually achieved something due to her diligence and intelligence.

Let me put it into perspective for you: I have never, and will never think of myself as any better than the person next to me, but I also expect the same level of respect I show towards others to be reciprocated. I act with integrity, speak with purpose, lead with passion, and carry on with persistence. And I will not apologize for that. I refuse to apologize for not fitting into your narrow standards of how a woman should behave, or how she should carry herself.