Strong women are Beautiful women.
Social media has been such an amazing place for me. I have ‘met’ so many amazing women through posts, tags, stories, etc., recently one woman in particular has taken the torch and lit the world up for me. She is intelligent, successful, funny and real. My gawd she is real and I admire her strength in so many ways. The other day, she posted this(see below) on Facebook and reading this, having this in my brain with forever change me. You can find her post: HERE
“So yesterday I went on this little rant on my IG Story about something that makes me so sad to see the internet constantly take part in: The judgment + shame + comment phenomenon. It’s a compulsion! I see it toward the people I love that are attempting to be honest and it makes me sad. It is clear by the sheer volume of messages in my inbox that you guys feel the same way. Is it not getting out of hand, folks?
I’ll talk specifically to the ladies here. Since when do the choices we make become the “right choice” for other grown women whom we do not know? Since when did we take it upon ourselves to shame other women for what they do, buy, like, see, take part in or not? Since when is it not okay to just be who we are? Since when did we become so superior in our own lives that we feel the need to point out everything we don’t do and comment on it? Do we think this is how we build each other? Do we think this is the best way to create change for others? Here’s the hardest question of all, since when do we believe that the world would be better if everyone, everywhere just made the same choices? That is some Stepford kind of life that I don’t want.
Look, I’m not going to fix this by posting about it or writing about it but we can, as a group of legit business women, agree that internet shame is bullshit and not do it to others. To stop thinking that every human in the internet needs our opinion. As sales people, I am concerned we are overlooking how important being likable is. It’s not enough to know your product or be the most skilled. Your people have to also like you. Making people feel shamed for their choices that are different than yours isn’t the best place to start. Promise. Make space to help others and give hard feedback with love to those you…wait for it…LOVE, but stop judging other human beings on the internet whom you barely know who are just doing their best for their choices of food, workout program, vaccination schedule (or not), breastfeeding (or not), religion, music, parenting, education, the list goes on . You get my point.
Every day I become more confident to be who I am in my industry even though it’s not compliant to the “ideal person.” I’ve gotten used to this space. Hear me, momtrepreneurs, you will eventually have to decide to do the same. Just be you, for you will be judged anyway. Let others just be them. You’ll attract who you are meant to by just putting your real self out there (despite the shame you’ll receive) and being confident. Let the judgement roll off of you and do it anyway. Let’s make a vow to stop saying everything we don’t agree with on the internet. Cool? Cool. I love this tribe. I love how you love me for attempting to put the real me out there. Thank you. Go and be free to be who you are. Let your freak flag fly.”