“Being a woman used to seem like such a burden to me.
I always felt like I couldn’t be too loud, too opinionated, too different, too big, too small, too quiet, too much. I always felt society was constantly telling me that to fit in I should stay small and stay quiet or else I’d be ‘too much’ for people.
If I was too assertive as a child, I was ‘bossy.’ Too opinionated, I was ‘rude.’ Too loud, I was ‘interruptive.’ So, I learned to fit in as a woman in society; I would stay small, stay in ‘my lane’ and keep my head down.
Somewhere between my 20s, and becoming a mother of two girls, I realized that this is bulls—t we’ve been conditioned to believe for generations, and decided I was over it.
I decided to be the best example for my girls, and to break the cycle of women staying neatly inside the box society has made for us, I had to become fully and wholly myself.
So here you find me, loudly speaking my truth so other women can find their voices and speak theirs as well. If I’m asked my opinion, I will happily give it to you, because it matters just like your own does. If I feel like my boundaries are being crossed, I don’t mind being assertive and saying so.
Today is International Women’s day, and instead of me asking you to recognize the women you’re proud to know, I want to ask you to take a moment and think of a way you’ve been playing small to fit the role of ‘woman.’
Each and every one of you is strong, vibrant, and magical, and may have forgotten this somewhere along the line since society doesn’t often remind you of it.
Want to reclaim that feeling? Then starting today start realizing you aren’t too much of anything.
Speak your truth, say what you’re feeling, be exactly who you were born to be.
It’s our generation that shapes the future generations of women. What do we want for them?
I know I want them to never feel like they’re ‘too much.’ I want my girls to feel like the strong, capable, nurturing, intellectual, magical beings they were created to be. I never want them to think twice about being exactly who they are or speaking their truth.
So speak a little louder, be you, and break those cycles.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Rachael Krupski of Long Island, NY. You can follow her journey on Instagram and her blog. Submit your own story here, and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
Read more from Rachael here:
‘My second baby, you get a BETTER mama.’: Mom pens sweet ode to second child
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