Viva logo

Raising Trees Not Weeds

Girl Power: All Men Can!

By Maryam SanaeiPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
Like

I love the idea of “empowering girls!”

I’m a girl:

A daughter,

A sister,

A wife and

A mother!

I love teaching my daughter that she can choose to be Cinderella or Merida or both!

That it’s HER choice!

That whoever she chooses to be, she can and will be amazing.

That she can be her own superhero!

That being fit is healthy, but it’s not the definition of beauty.

That she’ll look perfect whether she chooses to wear makeup or look natural.

That she is amazing, just the way she is.

I thank God that we are entering a time that the world is telling girls and women that it is not OK to be OK with letting others hurt you, the same way that it’s not OK to hurt others.

And that it is OK to talk about it if you have gotten hurt.

And that Barbie is no longer this tall, thin fantasy of a woman that in order to exist in real life needs to undergo 15 different surgeries (no offense to those who look like Barbie naturally)!

All of this is fantastic and I’m grateful that my daughter and I get to live in this era.

Also, I read somewhere a few days ago, that in the effort to empower our girls, let’s not forget our boys. Let’s make them equally as powerful. And I do agree with the importance of that idea as well.

But,

I also think, as a mom and a wife and a sister and a daughter, that it is equally as important, for us women, to try and help resolve the issue at its source, simultaneously!

If each one of us, who care about our world’s future, inform our “male” loved ones about how their perceptions, behaviors, body languages, words and sometimes even the look in their eyes could be offensive and, in many cases, hurt a female they are interacting with, then we may be able to pull the weed out from its root instead of just cutting it off the stem!

So,

As a mother, (in my case, I am omitting “as a wife, sister, and daughter” since God has blessed me with males in my life that don’t need to be informed),

As a mother,

I love teaching my son that his words matter!

That “fat” or “thin” are just sizes and shouldn’t be used as offensive adjectives!

That real girls don’t generally look like Barbie, but if they do, that’s their choice; respect it.

That there is no such a thing as a small or big nose/etc.! They’re perfect fits for the face/body that they’re on.

That if you cry or whine or throw or run or drive “like a girl,” you are simply being a normal human! Cause girls rock in all of those stuff.

That you should deal with girls delicately, but that DOES NOT mean they’re weak.

That women can be anything apart from kings.

That respecting a woman doesn’t make you any less of a “man!” So keep opening those doors for them.

That looks can also have meaning. Make sure when you look at a girl, you mean kindness and respect.

That femininity is not more powerful than masculinity, AND VICE VERSA!

That all women are your mom, sister, grandma and later, wife and daughter. Treat them as such.

And finally,

That this is not a fight over power, it’s simply a cooperation towards a common goal: all humans living in peace and equality!

So when we ask the society the question I asked my kindergartener son, “Which one of your twin brother and sister friends is the stronger one?” we all hear the obvious answer he gave me: “Uh! Both!”…

gender roles
Like

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.