Growing up as a girl, I was taught very specific ways to keep myself safe.
Don't dress "too" sexual, because you'll elicit unwanted attention from men.
Don't wear your hair in a ponytail, because it makes it easier for an attacker to grab you.
Don't go to a public bathroom alone.
If you have to walk to your car alone at night, make sure to spike your keys in between your fingers, so it'll hurt more if you need to punch an attacker.
The message girls get is: men can't control themselves, and if you catch their attention & they decide they want you, they'll take you. So you need to make sure to "do your part" and dress in a way so that you're not "trying" to attract them.
But now that I'm all grown up & I have 4 girls of my own, my thoughts on the way women should or should not dress are very different. I refuse to raise my girls in fear. I refuse to tell them that it's their job to hide their bodies in order to be a "smart girl". My opinion now is that women should pick out their outfits in the morning with no other reason than, "I want to wear this". If she feels cozy & confident in what she selected, then that makes it appropriate. It shouldn't be our job to morph ourselves into something we're not so that hopefully bad people won't do bad things to us. And you know what? If someone wants to hurt another person, they're going to do it, regardless of what the person is wearing. The way we keep women safe is through legislation, not by telling them they must make themselves small.
My daughters are allowed to wear crop tops, because I'm simply delighted that they feel confident in their bodies to wear them. I will not tell them the only way they will be safe is by making themselves small. May we raise confident, self motivated women who dress for themselves and live for themselves & may we fight for the legislation that will protect them & see that justice is served should they be harmed.
Are you ready to liberate yourself off the back burner, mama? Schedule your free 60 minute consultation so I can explain how I can help you break free of the wash-rinse-repeat burnout cycle of motherhood.
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