Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you dumb yourself down because you feel that someone would find you to be more appealing or attractive if you diminish your intelligence, even by the tiniest of degrees? Girls all over the country are experiencing this off-putting reality of making themselves inferior because they assume that's what men want. They believe that they have to bargain their brains for their beauty in order to keep a man interested. I mean how could a man ever possibly be attracted to a strong and independent woman who craves worldly intellection and stimulation?! Women are more than just canvas' that create M.A.C. book perfections; we are so much more. Emma Watson once said, "Girls should never be afraid to be smart", and I couldn't agree more.

Why shouldn't women of all ages and ethnicities be proud of who they are and what they know? Each woman on this planet is uniquely individual and special, and no one should be expected to bury a facet of makes up their self-identity. This deeply embedded issue within our society that allows the acceptance to belittle a woman's IQ, or makes a social scenario where a woman is afraid to use her voice and speak her mind accessible, is a tragedy and a burden that women united face with every new day.

In the work force when a man is being aggressive and assertive, he is simply practicing his work ethic and being barrier breaking business man. But when a woman speaks her mind and asserts her opinion, she is branded with the identity of being a bitch. Humans weren't born with the mentality to disregard another human beings thoughts and knowledge; humans were taught and trained to look down upon women who do something more than act as a societal doorstop or something pretty to look at.

Women are beautiful and powerful creatures who have a thirst for life and thought. As a nation, we need to start raising the future generations of this country to stop mocking girls and women of intellect, let girls know that it is okay to ask questions and absorb as much knowledge in a lifetime as possible, and to never, ever, try to dim your light because you think that your community expects you to. We need to nurture women's wisdom and destroy this hierarchy of oppression that make women feel the need to silence their intelligence.

Never forget that girls and women alike are intellectual beings who can accomplish anything that she sets her mind to...and she does it while in heels.