Words matter.

I’m wearing (one of) my new favorite sweatshirts today, it says “woman up” - vibe.

List of terms that give me a visceral reaction (in a bad way), including but not limited to -

Man up, nut up, grow some balls, using “guys” as a gender neutral term or always defaulting to man for inanimate things, calling someone a pussy who is weak or saying that you can see their vagina etc.

These terms and phrases have led to the assumption that gender dictates whether you’re a strong or a weak person. I vehemently unsubscribe.

One could suggest that by me wearing a sweatshirt that says “woman up”, I’m participating in the gender assignment of strength - nope, hard nope. Objectively, women are oppressed and it’s impossible for the oppressed to oppress the community that is oppressing them. I’m amplifying and celebrating the fact that when I feel unsafe or insecure, I woman up because the strength is already within me - I don’t need to channel testicles to be able to get through something.

This brings me to the divine energies of the masculine and the feminine - unpopular opinion, I also unsubscribe to this. By creating this binary, you create a dichotomy that suggests that you either can’t be both at the same time, but also that certain traits only belong and can be demonstrated by one gender or the other. So, this will forever be a hard one for me and perhaps something I should dig into.

I don’t believe that you need to dial up or dial down the masculine or feminine, I think you should be yourself - be human, and by being your authentic self, you will be able to navigate any situation the way that feels natural. With this said, bottom line when discussing the masculine and feminine is recommending to strike a balance - but again, it mustn’t be tied to gender because that simply perpetuates and brings to light the misaligned assumptions that strength is only tied to a male energy.

So, go forth, and woman up.