Confession No. 8: I am a Warrior

With the advent of movements such as ‘Time’s Up‘ and #MeToo (a phenomenon that even managed to top the TIME 100 list), a new generation of young girls and women are being empowered and, most importantly, made aware of the importance of speaking out.

As a teenage girl, it’s exhilarating to see celebrities, people I look up to, use their power to bring attention to the way we are being oppressed. It is thrilling to see women everywhere band together, to see many men supporting us. It is awe-inspiring to imagine that I may be present to see the overturning of rampantly casual sexism, that I may contribute to the end of a world in which women have to fight tooth and nail for the same opportunities as men.

They are movements that are founded to combat blatant ignorance of major issues, but they are movements that aim to empower, not demean. That is what makes them so significant. Rather than shame the men who caused them, the aim is to lift the women who suffered, support them and acknowledge all they endured.

It gives me hope.

I am fortunate enough for my body to not have been trespassed in such a violent manner. I am lucky enough to be able to talk about this without having to confront a past I would rather forget.

Confession Time: I could easily be complacent.

I refuse to be complacent.

Complacency may as well condone the actions of those who we rise against. If there is one thing I will not stand for, it’s anyone who seeks to hurt another.

So I will stand proudly with my sisters, strong and steady. I will gather my courage and support them. I will wear black and I will do battle. I will fight with blood on my knuckles (on the hands that hold my friends close) and rage in my heart (nestled between lungs that breathe hope).

Because I am kind. Because I am good. Because, first and foremost, I am a warrior.

Always,

Your teenaged disaster