Tell me your stories, ladies!

Seems a little conceited for me to be talking about women empowerment, given our privilege, trust me it does. But it’s taken me a long time to believe that every story has weight, some learning, however facetious and whatever the source.

Not only are some of us economically and socially privileged, we are also fortunate to be born in a time when a woman can speak her truth out loud. We might be trolled for it by insecure people, but once you’ve put your intentions out in the universe, no one can take it away from you. You are stronger just to have spoken. You only need to have faith that there are people who are waiting for your stories - to be heard, to be understood, to be passed on. Whether you’re pre-teen, a college-going student, an intern, a mother, a homemaker, a leader or whatever you choose to be or not-be.

Give yourself a break - remind yourself of how far you’ve come, measure your progress as an individual. It has taken me personally two decades to finally admit to myself that I am becoming more responsible, less judgmental, more anxious yet willing to get help for it. There are no rights or wrongs, no privileged or unprivileged, when we all are just trying to survive and support one another. 

These days we are being viewed under a microscope, constantly having to prove our worth, judged for every action, for imperfect feminism, for choosing to be lazy or irresponsible although those might just be how tired we are of the patriarchy that we realise was never the truth but only thrusted upon us. As women, we have to work even harder to be known for the right things. There are people out there who only want to feel better by putting you down. They’ll gossip about the men you’ve slept with, doubting how you got your promotion, commenting on your weight and body structure, believing you are weak and uni-dimensional. Don’t let them because that's not important, it's not what you are. Most women I personally know are more multi-faceted and courageous than any given man. We’ve had to prove ourselves so much at every step that we ended up scrambling to do everything, and the results are glorious. Be proud of your accomplishments and don't hesitate to share them with everyone. 

I DO NOT say that we need to curate or completely manicure our lives and our stories, but I would rather focus on how Oprah promoted girl education in Africa, how she’s the first self-made female billionaire in the world, than her never-married and never-mothered aspects of her controversial life that has zero bearing on the inspiration that I can derive from a woman in power. 

Find your role models. Be somebody’s role model. Lift up other women. Tell them that even to want to be disobedient is a choice they can make. Lift up women, even the ones you dislike or whose values you absolutely do not agree with. Everyone has had a journey of their own. You don’t have to like it, but accept it. Find a positive thing in every woman you meet. And try to focus on that. 

For now, just tell your story. 

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